


Collaboration

by chiogaru



Series: Konoha meets Shangrila - The Great Shinobi-Yokai Alliance!!! [5]
Category: Naruto, Saiyuki Gaiden
Genre: Crossover, F/M, Next Generation, Non-Explicit, OC is a jerk, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Underage - Freeform, rated E to be safe, sexual situations that won't be elaborated further on in the tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-14
Updated: 2017-03-02
Packaged: 2018-08-08 12:50:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 11
Words: 94,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7758517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chiogaru/pseuds/chiogaru
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>We never did come up with a proper title for this...</p><p>This continues from "23 Years", Kakashi and Hana invite Gojyo and Essa to visit them in Konoha, which will have been the first time they've seen each other since the events of "Tit for Tat", with both couples now married with children...who don't necessarily get along, or at least, not in the manner parents might approve of or appreciate...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Marketplace Encounters

**Author's Note:**

> I have to admit, that around this point and several of the stories further in could have been better with some actual planning, since the plot does tend to meander all over the place, and we may have gotten a little too carried away with the drama...That, and there are some questionable character choices and decisions that I wish we could go back and tweak to appear less...
> 
> Well, let's just say that nothing's perfect, and that we wrote/write mostly for our own personal enjoyment and there is always room for improvement (but I am unlikely to change much other than typos and spelling errors).

It doesn't matter what town or what time of day, Mieko loves shopping. Whether or not she buys anything isn't the point, just browsing and looking at all the vendors' wares is enough to make her day. And now here with her dearest friends Aya and Maemi, it's just that much better. They are supposed to be buying groceries as per Emi's 'orders, but somehow they seem to have gotten sidetracked. Right now they are in the very dress shop Ayumi and Aya had purchased their new dresses for the first night of the festival. Aya had convinced her father Doku to let her get another new dress for the parade tonight. Although it took very little convincing and Emi had given her husband a light whack on the head with her wooden cooking spoon, complaining about how he spoiled her. That had started off some fireworks in the kitchen and the three girls had made a quick break for it before Aya's parents heated up the kitchen any more than it already was. 

"Honestly Aya…" Mieko laughs softly as she looks through the dresses in the shop, not finding much to her liking. "Uncle Doku and Aunt Emi are almost as bad as Daddy and Mother are." 

"Not in a million years." Aya giggles as she peeks her head out of the dressing room. "Uncle Gojyo and Aunt Essa are the worst. Daddy says way back in the day Sanzo-san used to call him a pervy water sprite. It was like a different girl every night before he met Aunt Essa." 

Mieko blushes slightly. She can only imagine what her father must have been like when he was younger. As it was now her parents could barely keep their hands off each other and their bedroom door was always locked. She knew this because she's always had a fear of the dark and used to get nightmares when she was little. And the very first time she had gone in the room without knocking… it wasn't as though she had seen anything, all she remembered was the yells and thuds as her parents had fallen on the floor off the bed and out of her sight. At the time she was only about 4 and had no idea what was going on… but since that night they had always been very careful to keep their door locked if they were feeling amorous. Which could be any time of day or night. "Okay…I suppose mine are worse." Mieko giggles nervously, and then looks to Maemi who is just at the next dress rack. "I suppose your parents are the only normal ones." 

"Define normal." Maemi smiles, and then sighs. "Aya-chan…it's getting late we really ought to get that grocery shopping done." 

"Spoilsports." Aya chuckles and ducks back into the dressing room, changing into her original clothes and bringing out the last two dresses she had tried on. "Which one? I can't decide, the red one or the green one?" 

"Green. Definitely green." Mieko says quickly. 

Maemi nods in agreement. "Absolutely. 

"Well… gee don't even take a second to think about it…" Aya looks carefully at both dresses. "What's wrong with the red one?" 

Mieko and Maemi look at each other smirking slightly as Aya puts back the red dress and takes the other up to pay. 

As they leave the shop Maemi takes the list Aya's mother gave them and rips it into three parts. "Since Aya took so long picking out a dress, I say we split up and meet back here in an hour. We should have everything by then." 

Mieko nods, taking her third of the slip of paper from Maemi's hand. "I think that’s a good idea. I'll hurry as fast as I can." 

Aya is a little peeved and she peeks into her bag, though she is very satisfied with her purchase, she is also very curious as to why Mieko and Maemi were so against the other one. "Seriously… was wrong with the red one?" She looks at her friends, a hint of a whine in her voice. 

Mieko and Maemi grin at each other before Mieko speaks trying to put it as politely as she can. "It made you look like…like a woman of ill-repute." 

"A what?" Aya looks at them with wide eyes. Not quite sure what Mieko meant. 

"She means to say…" Maemi leans in and whispers in Aya's ear so no one can hear. "…it made you look like a hooker." 

*** *** *** 

"Obito...I'm going to be at this bar here. I don't mind you looking around, just don't cause any trouble." 

Both Obito and Kakashi are on their way back to Konoha from a mission and had decided to stop in this town. His father may be content whiling away at a bar...but Obito has other things in mind. 

"Let's see what kind of action this place can offer me..." He smirks behind his mask. "The Konoha girls are great but it is always nice to go out and try something new..." 

He wanders through the streets but nothing (or to be more precise, no one) really catches his eye until... 

"Hello...what do we have here?" He raises an eyebrow as he observes three girls standing before a dress shop. The red-head looked like she was pouting while the other two smiled politely. 'Cute...' He thinks. He watches them talk a little before they start to split up... 

"Dammit..." He has to think fast...which one to pursue? He decides to give the blonde a pass...he's had a bit of a negative association with them ever since that one encounter...which left the red-head and the other girl...Hmmm...They both definitely have their own appeal...in the end he quickly flips a coin and goes for girl number two. 

"Now to wait for the most opportune moment to make my move..." He smirks to himself as he casually begins the pursuit... 

*** *** *** 

'Darn it…' Mieko wanders quickly through the market; several of the vendors are already closing shop to get ready for the evening festivities. Staring down at her part of the shopping list. 

'Brown sugar…rice flour…sesame seeds.' Those she had managed to find. Next on the list had been red bean paste. That had been hopeless; everyone had been out of it. She had ended up settling on getting red beans and sugar deciding she would just have to make it from scratch herself. 

"There goes two hours of my night wasted…" She sighs to herself, folding up the piece of paper and tucking it into her purse as she pays for the red beans and sugar. Smiling politely at the young man who packs them up for her. 

*** *** *** 

Obito continues watching her for a little while until he decides that he's waited long enough. 

"Hey." He comes in to stand by her side, casually leaning against the stand she had just made her purchase from. Green eyes widen and stare at him. "A pretty little thing like you really shouldn't be made to wander around on her own like this..." He smirks behind his mask. "But I can remedy that situation..." 

*** *** *** 

Kakashi is very calmly drinking his sake... 

"I better bring Hana-chan back something nice, or else she'll only complain if I tell her we stopped by in a town instead of doing all we could to get back home sooner..." He mutters to himself and then wonders if he should maybe get his Ai something as well...not that his daughter is the easiest person to get a gift for...if it isn't ninja-related, it isn't worth her time. 

*** *** *** 

"I'm not wandering. I'm shopping and doing quite well on my own. Though I thank you for the concern." She nods to him politely as she tucks away her purchase into her basket, her hand trembling slightly as she quickly looks away from the young man who had just spoken to her and starts to head back at a steady pace. 

A mask? She'd never encountered anyone wearing a mask. And silver hair? She'd never seen any human with such a color hair. Only youkai had silver hair… or so she thought. 

She had only had a quick glimpse of him, tall…very handsome, at least his eyes were quite attractive and she got the sense from him that he knew it. Cocky. That's what he was. But if he really was so handsome why the mask? Could he be a criminal? He did have rather strange looking tattoos. And those earrings… her mind is filling with all sorts of ideas of what a person who looked like that was…'No one covers their face like that… not unless they have something to hide. That's it. He's a hoodlum…a gang member…' then she thinks again 'Or maybe he just has bad teeth…' 

 

Obito smirks he'd only just gotten started…he's not about to let her get away that easily…women adore him…and he's sure that if he keeps at it long enough…she'd hanging off of his arm just like the rest of them. 

He continues to follow her…and doesn't bother to hide the fact that he is…he knows she knows that he's following her and notes the quick glances she gives him over her shoulder. 

It would only be a matter of time before she realizes that he isn't about to give up… 

*** *** *** 

Kakashi is at a loss…he knows his Hana very well, but isn't quite sure what to get her. 

"Would she like something like this?" He asks himself picking up a random object and holding it up to his face. 

 

"You really don't plan on getting that for Hana-chan do you? I’m quite certain you'll get an earful and then some if you do. Unless of course over the years she's developed quite bad taste." A hand reaches from behind him to take the item from him and place it back on the shelf. 

The female voice coming from behind Kakashi is almost laughing at him, and he can't help but smile as he turns around. 

*** *** *** 

Mieko glances over her shoulder now and then. This is getting a little weird. No one has ever actually followed her before and she's growing a little uncomfortable. Finally she stops and turns around on one heel, staring at him coolly. "Could you possibly not follow me?" 

 

Obito pauses for a moment, "I suppose I could…" Then he goes back to smirking. "But I don't really feel like it." And before the girl has even the chance to protest he walks right up to her reaches for her basket. "Why don't you let me carry this for you?" 

*** *** *** 

"Essa-chan…" Kakashi turns to face her and smiles. "It's been a while." 

 

"Just a little while." Her smile brightens as she notices his hair seems to hardly have changed. A little older for certain but nothing can change that charming air of his. Her youngest Koemi is at her side and she is holding her mother's hand tightly, staring up at the man in the mask. "Koemi." She smiles down at her daughter. "I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine. Kakashi-san." 

Koemi gives a little curtsy, a bright smile on her face. "I'm very pleased to meet you Kakashi-san." She gives her mother's hand a squeeze, then hugging her doll Momo tightly, pretends to whisper in her ear, then Momo 'whispers' back. "And Momo says the same." 

*** *** *** 

"I can carry it just fine myself thank you." Mieko holds on tightly to the handle of her basket turning slightly so it's out of the young man's reach. 

 

'Playing hard to get…hmmm, been a while since I came across one of those…' Obito thinks to himself before he rests his hand on the girl's shoulder. "Oh, but I insist..." His voice goes a little lower. "I've got strong arms…" 

*** *** *** 

Kakashi crouches to be at the same eye-level as the little girl, "And I am very pleased to meet both you and Momo, Koemi-chan." He smiles fondly…remembering how sweet a little girl his own Ai had been. He looks back up to Essa, "So I take it you and Gojyo are married with children?" Kakashi figures that they'd probably have more than one child… 

 

"Mmhmm. That we are. Koemi is the youngest. We have two sons 22 and 15 and a 16 year old daughter. I'm afraid our oldest is walking in his father footsteps." Essa smirks a little then. "And you and Hana? I'm sure you must be married. If you didn't marry her I doubt you'd still be alive and kicking." 

*** *** *** 

Mieko's eyes grow wide in disbelief. 'He so did not just put his arm around me…' Mieko is appalled at his forwardness and her cheeks begin to flush slightly. 

"I'm sure they are quite strong arms. But as I said I can manage just fine." Mieko plucks his arm up by the wrist and ducks out from under his arm. Once again she begins to walk off, only this time at a bit quicker pace heading back toward what little crowds are left in the market area, hoping perhaps she can lose him there. 

'He's a pervert….he's a stalker…a perverted stalker… ' Her heart is beating a mile a minute as she babbles on and on in her own mind, and a sudden thought occurs to her. 'A perverted stalker in a gang…oh wonderful…' 

 

"Hello again…" Obito remarks just a little way in front of her causing her to stop and stare…he takes great pleasure in the expression on her face…probably wondering how on earth he had managed to get ahead of her so quickly without her noticing. 

*** *** *** 

Kakashi rises from his crouch back into a standing position, "Four kids…must be a handful…" He chuckles, "Yes…Hana-chan and I got married after our son was born…he's 21 now…and we also have a 17 year old daughter." 

 

"I can imagine even just the two are enough to have kept you quite busy." She reaches out and takes him by the hand giving it an affectionate squeeze as she stands on tiptoe to brush his cheek with a friendly kiss. "It's good to see you again Kakashi. But… I suppose you ought to be getting back to what you were doing. Which I think…was trying to find a gift for Hana-chan…" Though judging by the item he had been holding in his hand…he wasn't doing a very good job at it. Obviously shopping was not his strong suit. "Would you care for a suggestion or two…?" Essa offers. 

*** *** *** 

"You…How…?" Mieko points at the young man, she's visibly unnerved now. Glancing over her shoulder, then glancing to him. "You were behind me…" Utterly bewildered, she hurries down a side street just before the market, she's shopped in this town so many times before and she knows every street, every alley and she is certain she can lose him somehow. 

 

Unfortunately for her Obito feels like being very persistent and he continues to appear at whatever place she next tries to seek refuge at…he figures it's only a matter of time before she gives up… 

*** *** *** 

"Yes please." Kakashi sighs in relief. "Hana-chan would be twice as angry at me if I turn up with something she doesn't like…" He looks to Essa gratefully. 

"Well…" She turns down an aisle to the back of the store. "If you want something you both will enjoy." She takes up a bottle of jasmine scented bath oil. "This is lovely. Very soothing in a nice warm bath. A woman in town makes it. There's nothing quite like it." She places the bottle in his hands along with some scented soaps and candles… before turning to look at him grinning. "Perhaps you might want to get a basket Kakashi-san." 

*** *** *** 

"You've got to be kidding me…." She's nearly out of breath and has not even come close to losing him, and there he is once again in front of her leaning casually against the wall of a building. 

'Dear heavens…he's persistent.' She's quite annoyed by that fact that though she is nearly exhausted, he seems to be completely unaffected. Her chest is heaving as she takes in deep gulps of air trying to cool down as she leans back against the wall opposite him. Her legs are shaking and she just can't run anymore. 'He's not human…alien pervert stalker hoodlum… that's what he is …with bad teeth…' She giggles to herself as she thinks it. 

Obito raises an eyebrow…it looks like she's finally had enough of running from him…for now…but what is she giggling about? 

"Have fun running around?" He smirks remaining where he is and goes on before even waiting for an answer. "You're not that bad of a runner…got some nice legs from what I was able to see…" 

*** *** *** 

Kakashi stands there patiently as Essa continues to suggest and hand him various items and he chuckles to himself, "If this doesn't appease Hana-chan nothing will..." 

"Okay…" Essa laughs as she realizes she's spending enough of Kakashi's money. " I think that should be enough to make you both very happy. And I promise you if Hana-chan isn't agreeable after a bath with that jasmine oil… well there's nothing that will work." Essa give Kakashi a little wink. "Just make sure they wrap it up all nicely in a basket with a pretty bow before you go." 

*** *** *** 

Mieko stops giggling then and gives him a nervous look, looking down at her skirt, smoothing it with her free hand. "You're practically an old man. You shouldn't be looking at my legs." 

"Old man?" Obito echoes…well he hadn't had a comment like that before…he assumes that it's probably got to do with his silver hair. "Nothing old about me, honey…" He chuckles as he now approaches her. "Hmmm…" He leans his hand against the wall just by her shoulder and although he isn't touching her…he is certainly close enough to be able to…"And you're right about one thing…I shouldn't be looking at your legs…" He smirks. "Why don't you tell me what else I should be doing to them?" 

*** *** *** 

Kakashi pays for the various items and waits for the woman at the counter to finish wrapping up his purchase. 

"I thank you Essa-chan…you've probably saved me a few hours worth of scolding…" He chuckles. "Hmmm…you know…if you and Gojyo are ever able to…you should come and visit us in Konoha…I'm sure Hana wouldn't mind seeing you again." 

Essa looks up at him, her impulse reaction was to say she would love to. But then she thought again. Would Gojyo go for it? 

"I'd love to say yes. But I'm not entirely sure Gojyo would agree to it. Things were a little complicated after that last time we saw you both." She was being careful what she said in front of her little girl. "Maybe if you suggested to him…? Over a drink or two?" Essa looked at Kakashi hopefully. "You both seem to plan things out quite well without any help from us women." Essa smiles, her eye sparkling at him. 

*** *** *** 

"Absolutely nothing." Mieko says quickly giving him a push back. "If you want that kind of thing there are plenty of girls who I am sure would be interested. I don't do those kind of things you're thinking." She gives him a dirty look, but she's not quite sure how effective it was since she was feeling an absolute wreck at the moment. 

"Oh? And just what might I be thinking?" He goes on completely unfazed by her reaction. "I wouldn't mind hearing an elaboration…" 

*** *** *** 

"I'm sure I'll be able to sway his opinion on the matter…" The masked Nin chuckles. "I do seem to have a way with words if I do say so myself…" He takes the waiting package from the counter. 

"Well I certainly hope you can sway him. It would be nice to see Hana-chan again after so many years. Just make sure he doesn't leave in a bad mood." Essa smiles, taking in a nervous breath. She just wasn't too sure how her husband was going to react to this. 

*** *** *** 

"Why don't you just go …go… elaborate by yourself." Mieko is getting exasperated now and her voice is starting to squeak a little as she stomps her foot " I have things I have to do tonight and I don't have time to waste on some sick pervert with bad teeth." 

Obito seems to have been caught off guard this time, "Bad teeth?" He's caught between being indignant and the urge to laugh about it…the latter option wins out. "What gave you that idea?" He gasps in between chuckles. 

*** *** *** 

"Not to worry Essa-chan…" He says as he is about to leave. "I'll make sure of it, good to catch up with you…" He waves his goodbye to the little girl and her doll before he seemingly disappears… 

*** *** *** 

"The mask of course. " She sighs. 'Why am I even bothering?' She shrugs. "You must have something to hide to be wearing it. The least offensive thing I could think of … was bad teeth." She takes in a deep breath, finally feeling a bit rested again, she starts to walk off again. If he thought for one moment she was actually going to 'elaborate' on anything he had no idea how wrong he was. "Amusing as this may have been for 'you', I really have to get back." 

Obito knows that he won't get anything out of the girl…but he believes he deserves something for all his effort. 

He appears in front of her again, "I wasn't quite done yet…" He points out to her. "And I don't have bad teeth." And before the girl has a chance to say or even react to anything…Obito has his masked lips pressed against hers. "See you around…" He smirks and disappears. 

*** *** *** 

Kakashi is back at the bar. He figures Gojyo will either bump into him or he may go out and bump into Gojyo… 

*** *** *** 

'Okay…Essa-chan is really being weird…' Gojyo grumbles. He'd been in the mood for a little late afternoon delight and she'd rushed him out of the house and told him to go have a drink. That she had much too much to do to helping Emi and Ayumi get things ready. Doku had sympathized and offered to treat his little brother at their usual haunt. 

"Get over it Gojyo. She'll be in the mood later I am sure." Doku grins. One thing he knew…when Gojyo and Essa came to visit they made certain they had the spare room furthest from anyone else. 'Yup she'll be in the mood later.' 

"Maybe she's losing interest." Gojyo begins to fret as they enter the bar. "Maybe 'cause I'm going gray…" He mutters as he fingers his ponytail tentatively. 

"Well so is she." Doku says simply. 

*** *** *** 

'The nerve. The absolute nerve.' Mieko's cheeks are flaming. 'How dare he kiss me?' She storms off in the directions of the dress shop she was supposed to be meeting Maemi and Aya. "And it wasn't even a good one…" She mutters under her breath, then sighs as she tries to think of something positive. 'At least his teeth weren't bad after all.' 

Obito is back on the streets…chasing after the girl had been fun…but he's out looking for more serious action now… 

*** *** *** 

Kakashi orders himself another drink, not looking up from the book he had brought along to pass the time. 'Ah, the memories…' He thinks fondly and finds his mind wandering to the kind of books his son likes to read…he'd flicked through one once…and found it to be too much even for him…and that was really saying something. He shakes his head, 'Good thing the boy has the sense to hide them from his mother…' 

"Kakashi? What the f*** are you doing here?" Grinning, Gojyo gives the silver-haired man a slap on his back. 

Kakashi chuckles and lays the book aside to give the crimson-haired man - although he has started to grey - his full attention. "Just passing through…so Gojyo how are you? It's been a few years since our last encounter hasn't it?" 

"Just a few…." Gojyo smirks taking a seat beside Kakashi at the bar and ordering up some sake, turning to Doku and gesturing towards Kakashi. "Doku… this fellow here is nothing but trouble. I'd suggest you keep Emi locked away." Gojyo grins at Kakashi and nods to Doku. "This here is my big brother." 

Doku gives Kakashi a good look up and down, head to toe and only shrugs smiling. He just isn't worried. "The day I ever have to worry about Emi-chan looking at another man is the day I take her over my knee for real." He takes a seat on the other side of his brother. 

*** *** *** 

Maemi and Aya listen intently to everything Mieko has to say as she relays to them every detail of the last hour she has spent running from that strange young man in a mask. With each word she's sounding more annoyed and her voice gets a little higher and squeakier. Maemi and Aya's eyes are getting wider the more she tells them. 

"…and on top of all that he actually had the nerve to kiss me." Mieko says with great finality. She's completely frustrated right now. 

"Oh Mieko-chan…what did you do?" Aya is just utterly shocked. 

"Nothing. I didn't have a chance to do anything…" Mieko gestures with her free hand, expressing her aggravation. "He poofed. Just like that…" She snaps her fingers. "Gone in a puff of smoke or something… whatever it was. I never saw anything so odd in my life." 

"Are you going to tell your father?" Maemi looks at Mieko seriously. 

"Tell him what?" Mieko shrugs. "That I was running from some strange guy in a mask, who just kept popping up everyplace before he kisses me and disappears. He'll either think I'm crazy or he'll give me that talk again about boys and …" Mieko shudders at the thought. "I'm sure it was a freak experience. He was most definitely not a local, so it's not as though I'll be running into him again." 

"Well if you're sure…" Maemi hooks her arm with Mieko as they walk arm in arm along with Aya back to Doku and Emi's house. 

Mieko smiles but…she's still not very happy about the way the day went. Not only did she spend almost an hour running from his unwelcome advances, now she was going to have to spend another two hours or so making red bean paste from scratch. Emi-chan had charged her with making the sesame seed balls to take to the picnic they were having after the parades. And Aya had spent so much time shopping for clothes…'This is exasperating…' Mieko sighs. She hates being annoyed about anything, and she takes in a deep breath deciding the evening certainly can't get any worse. 

*** *** *** 

Kakashi waits until after Gojyo has had a few drinks during which time is spent with some idle chit-chat in which he tells Gojyo the same as he had Essa that he and Hana are now married and have two children. 

"I was actually out buying Hana-chan a gift a little earlier today…and I ran into Essa-chan in the shop." He carefully brings the topic up. "She helped me pick something out and I met your youngest…and her doll." He adds with a smile. 

Gojyo raises a brow. "So that explains why she practically pushed me out of the house…she knew I'd run into you here. Spill it… what scheme have the two of you come up with now?" 

"Yare yare…" Kakashi sighs. "You almost make it sound like a bad thing…" Then he brightens up a little. "Considering the amount of time that has passed since we all last saw each other…I thought it would be interesting to invite you to come visit us…I know Hana wouldn't mind seeing Essa-chan again." 

"I don't know man… the four of us…and the four of my kids and your two all in one place? Don't ya think that's just asking for trouble?" 

Doku chuckles then, taking a shot of sake. "If Emi and I can handle our nine plus yours and all the others that converge on the house this time of year… I think you can manage it, little brother." 

Kakashi shrugs it off, "I'm sure the two women would mostly be preoccupied with catching up…and as for my two kids…well, they don't spend a lot of time in the house. My Ai-chan spends most of her time on the training grounds…" He isn't about to say what Obito spends most of his time doing. "She is about the same age as your eldest daughter…so I imagine they would spend some time together…and your boys might…get along with my son." He isn't in actuality too sure about that last part. "We have a nice spare room you and Essa-chan can stay in." 

Gojyo thinks a minute, unable to come up with any reasonable excuse to say no. "Well…I suppose we could stand a little vacation …this festival season wears me out. "Gojyo frowns slightly. "But I should probably give you a heads up on my oldest Yoichi. He…" Gojyo grins scratching his head a little. "He takes after his old man so you might want to warn your daughter to steer clear. Hansuke is harmless though… and Koemi of course you've met. My little dollbaby and her dollbaby." Gojyo chuckles as he downs a sake and thinks more. 'That Momo… Koemi can't go anyplace without her.' He looks at Kakashi. "Good thing you're an old married man now. I don't have to worry about you making the moves on Mieko." He watches Kakashi closely. "I sure hope your son doesn't take after you." 

Kakashi bristles slightly at being called 'an old married man'…it was just something he'd grown touchy about that and the comment about 'making the moves' on Gojyo's daughter… but lets it slide as he considers how to truthfully answer Gojyo without unintentionally causing him to change his mind. "Well…not exactly…" Kakashi chuckles. 'He's worse.' He thinks before adding. "He gets a lot of his attitude from his mother…Although she refuses to see it." 

Gojyo is amused. "Hana's attitude. Damn… I feel sorry for you." He shrugs. "I guess it could be fun. And I'm assuming Essa would like to go or she wouldn't have set me up like this." Gojyo smiles. "But boy oh boy is that woman gonna get it tonight." 

*** *** *** 

"Not a bad spread…" Obito says to himself as he leans against a wall and lets his gaze wander the crowds, observing various females for just the right one…preferably someone as willing as he is right now. Then he sees exactly what he is looking for…with all the experience…Obito knows when he's found an easy woman…He smirks behind his mask as he casually approaches her. 

"Hey, beautiful…can I buy you a drink? I'd like to get to know you better…" He likes what he's seeing…and judging by the approving look in her eye…so does she. Dark hair and blue-eyed…not a bad combination. 

"Of course…" She smiles and slips her arms around his. Obito allows her to lead him away. 

*** *** *** 

Mieko is rushing to make it to the parade before it starts. Finally after three hours in the kitchen she's finished making the last of the sesame seed balls. After packing them up with a few containers of freshly prepared sugar cane drink, she heads up for a quick shower and change of clothes, making sure she is presentable before leaving the house. The others are already there and the crowds are getting thick now. Every year it seems more and more people come from other towns to witness the spectacular parade. That's the only way to describe it. Spectacular. 'Lord Kougaji and Lady Kumiko certainly do know how to plan a celebration…' she thinks as she glances up to the castle as she nears the main road. Suddenly she stops, letting out a little gasp as she sees …him. When she sees him with Rin…the very girl who had tried to 'cause trouble' for her dear friend Maemi-chan. Mieko is seething. Without a word she storms up to them. She gives them both a glare, and Rin looks a bit unnerved. This would not have been the first encounter she had with Mieko, and she had come out on the losing end both times before. But Mieko says nothing as she opens a bottle of the drink she is carrying and pours it over both their heads. 

Feeling quite satisfied she smiles sweetly at them both before turning and heading once more toward the castle. 

*** *** *** 

Kakashi sighs as he looks up from his book...even he is getting a little impatient. Obito certainly is taking his sweet time...He'd been waiting at the edge of town for a little over an hour already... 

'If he's inherited anything besides my looks then it's definitely the lack of punctuality...' He thinks irritatedly. '...I wonder if this is how Naruto and the others kids felt.' 

"Ready to go yet, old man?" 

Kakashi gives his son a blank look, "I've been ready to go since an hour ago..." He responds while he tucks the book away. "I can only assume what you got up to last night..." 

"Three girls." Obito chuckles. 'Although I only got lucky with the third...' He shakes his head a little...it had taken some time to get the stuff out of his hair...but he doubts he'd be seeing her around again... 

"Let's get going."


	2. Welcome to Konoha

Kakashi had told Gojyo and his family to come visit…but he had forgotten to ask about the date…so as it is the family could arrive any time…but he has it covered…he left information at the main gates with a description and 'a friend' to wait and guide them to their home. Admittedly, said friend is getting very testy having sat around there for a few days with no sign of the tell-tale visitors… 

"Kasan! Have you seen my forehead protector? I can't find it!" Obito hollers from his room. 

"You wouldn't have to ask if you cleaned up after yourself more, you slob!" Hana yells right back at her son. "Just look at your room!" 

Kakashi continues reading his book in the kitchen, a cup of tea in the other hand. 

"Ai! Have you been throwing shuriken in your room again?!" Hana next vents her fury on her daughter. "I swear I just had your father fix the walls in your room! What are these holes over here?!" 

"I was trying to kill a fly…" Ai explains softly. 

"That's what the flyswat is for!" 

Kakashi takes a sip from his tea…it definitely is another average morning in the Hatake household… 

*** *** *** 

"You've got to be kidding me. We had to walk miles and miles through the forest for this...?" Yoichi groans as he looks up at the gates to the village, dropping the suitcases he's carrying on the ground in disgust. "We're in the hicks." 

"Hush, Yoichi." Essa looks sternly at her eldest son. "We've been invited to visit by some very dear old friends of your father's and I. Don't you dare say anything bad about this village." She shifts the basket of gifts she is carrying from one arm to the other as she takes Koemi firmly by the hand. 

Mieko is carrying another basket full of food. It was so like her mother to come bearing gifts. Every time they visited their aunt and uncles it was always the same. They would pack as much food and presents as actual necessities. "I think it's very quaint." Mieko smiles brightly as they approach the gates. 

"Quaint my ass…" Yoichi mutters under his breath. 

Koemi stops and yanks her mothers arm. "Mommy, Daddy…he did it again. Yo-yo said a bad word." Her eyes are huge. 

"Yeah, he did." Gojyo gives his son a good hard whack on the back of the head. "Don't you know better than to curse in front of your sister? How many god**** times do we have to tell you?" 

Essa sighs. "I wonder where he gets it from…" She says sarcastically. 

The two ninja on gate duty eye the group of strangers warily before one of them remembers something, "Hey…do you remember a few days ago…Kakashi-san said he was expecting visitors?" 

"Yeah…" The other responds. "You think it's them?" 

Ninja one reads through the file the Copy Nin had left behind. "Well the description fits two of the adults…and the little girl…he wrote that any other people accompanying them would be family…" 

"So, we let them in?" Ninja two responds. 

"Sure, after we do the routine search, they might be expected but we're still guarding the entrance to the village, baka." The other snaps. 

"Will they know where to go?" 

"That's what I'm here for." A deep voice remarks from the ground between them. 

"Huh?" Both ninja look down at the little dog. 

"Kakashi has had me wait here for days…so just go get the search over with so I can take them to him already." Pakkun snaps. 

The two ninja frown…taking orders from a little talking dog isn't exactly customary… 

But protocol demands that they speak to the group anyway… 

"You." One of them starts approaching the strangers. "Please state your business in the Leaf Village." 

"That's a hell of a greeting…" Gojyo glares at him as he reaches in for a cigarette. 

Essa sighs and rolls her eyes. "We're here to visit Kakashi and Hana. They should be expecting us. Though someone neglected to give them a day or a time." She glances over at her husband accusingly. 

"Don't blame me…" Gojyo smirks at his wife. "This was all your idea anyway. You wanted all the little details taken care of you should have done it." 

"A date and a time is not a little detail. It's a very big detail thank you." 

"Blah blah …blah…." Gojyo mutters as he tries to remember when his wife actually began to start to nag him. 'Somewhere between Hansuke and Koemi…' 

"Are you even listening to me?" 

The ninja that approached them is watching. Not quite sure what to do as he gestures to them looking over to his comrade as if to say 'they're nuts.' After a few moments watching the banter between the husband and wife, the ninja finally speaks up. 

"I'm afraid we're going to have to search you before we can allow you to enter the village." 

"Excuse me?" Essa looks at him, taking a step back as he takes a step closer. 

"He's quite right." The second guard says very seriously as he steps up to Gojyo. "It's a precaution. All visitors receive the same treatment I assure you." 

"And I assure you we've got nothing to hide. And I also assure you, if you put one finger on my wife…" He glances over his shoulder at the one approaching Essa. "…I'll break it off and shove it up your ass." 

'A simple visit…' Essa sighs shaking her head. 'This is certainly not how I had it pictured in my head…' 

The two ninja exchange a look. 

"Well…" One of them clears his throat, "I am afraid that we must insist on a search but if you have any qualms about us searching your wife…we can always call a kunoichi to the gates to search the women." He looks back to his partner. "I think Motoko-san is on patrol right now…so she should be close by…" 

"Right." The other nods and a brief hand-sign later he appears to have "vanished", on his way to find and bring back the kunoichi. 

"I'll start my search with the gentlemen then…if you would be so good and cooperate." The remaining ninja explains. 

Gojyo takes a one last long drag on his cigarette, blowing out the smoke in the ninja's face, before tossing the butt to the ground and grinding it under his boot. 'Damn Kakashi…you owe me for this one.' He thinks to himself as he cracks his neck grinning. "Been a while since I had any real practice…sure hope I haven't lost my touch." 

"Gojyo really now…" Essa tries to reason with him, sighing even more deeply. "What an example to set for the children… fighting." Though she does plan to give Kakashi an earful later … 

Suddenly in the midst of it all Koemi bursts out into tears. Everyone stops and looks. "I … I… I wanna g-g-go home!…" She wails uncontrollably. 

"Look what you did!" Mieko stomps her feet and glares at the ninja. "You made my baby sister cry you…you…grrrrrr!" She takes out a sesame ball and throws it in his face, before dropping her basket and goes over to Koemi, who Essa already has picked up in her arms, and begins rubbing her back gently. 

The ninja sighs in exasperation…why couldn't all visitors to Konoha just cooperate… 

Pakkun has had about enough he's waited at the gates for three days and has lost all patience, "Darn Kakashi making difficult friends…" He walks up to crimson-haired man. "You." He starts. "Kakashi's friend. Quit making such a big scene over nothing. This is a ninja village what the heck did you expect? A red carpet?" 

"Pretty funny…talking dog." Gojyo lights up a fresh cigarette, he's seen a lot of strange sh** in his days so …no big surprise. "What do I expect?" He looks down at the little pug-nosed creature. 'Ugly thing.' He thinks to himself. "I expect to get through without some man thinking he's going to touch my wife or my daughters." Never mind that they were going to call a Kunoichi 'whatever the heck that is..' after the fact. Because that was just what it was, after the fact. 

Koemi squirms out of her mothers arms. Her eyes are huge as she runs over picking up the little dog and squeezing it. "Oh a puppy….can we keep him?" 

Gojyo looks to his wife as she stands there rather surprised. "I suppose a talking dog shouldn't surprise me so much should it?" She stares back at Gojyo who is smirking slightly as he could swear the dog has a bored look on his face. 

"He probably has fleas…" Yoichi leans back against the gate, he's long since been ready to turn back and go home. This little incident just added to that. 

"If he's smart enough to talk I suppose he's potty trained, wouldn't you think?" Mieko stares at him, biting the inside of her lip to keep from laughing, as Koemi looks as if she might squeeze the breath out of him. 

Essa takes in a deep breath, amusing as all this is, it's getting them nowhere. "Look if you want to search our bags… then fine." She takes up her basket and walks up to the ninja her husband had just been tussling with. "But if you think for one moment you are going to lay a hand on my children, we'll turn around and go back home and you can tell Kakashi-san and Hana-chan exactly why." Then she turns and looks to Koemi seriously. "And no you can't keep the puppy. I am sure he belongs to someone else." 

Before Pakkun or even the ninja has a chance to say something there are too sudden 'poofs' as his gate-watch partner reappears along with the promised female ninja, "Hey, I found Motoko-san and…" He trails off eyeing the various facial expressions. "Did I miss something?" 

"You need me to search the women or not." Motoko taps her foot impatiently, "I've got a patrol to get back to." The young kunoichi eyes the group carefully she is a rank higher than the two male ninja and assesses matters more quickly than them. 

"It's not my fault Motoko-san…" The ninja explains. "They just don't want to be searched…" 

"Baka…" She mutters running a hand through her bluish shoulder-length hair. "Probably didn't explain it to them right…" She turns to the group with a smile, "Welcome to Konoha, home to the leaf shinobi. I apologize for any trouble my colleagues may have caused. I've been informed that you are here to visit Hatake Kakashi am I correct?" 

"Well we're not here…" Gojyo starts to make a sarcastic remark and Essa covers his mouth quickly with one hand. 

"Yes we are." Essa nods politely to the woman. "He invited us to come visit and neglected to mention we'd be subjected to a search. And while you're more than welcome to search our belongings…I would certainly hope you would be open-minded about a few of the items we have tucked away." Then she glances over to her youngest before leaning in a little closer to the woman. "And be discreet please. There are some things young children just ought not see." 

Yoichi, Mieko and Hansuke look at one another. Yoichi and Hansuke grin at one another while Mieko blushes. They know full well what sort of things they ought not see. But then they aren't exactly young children anymore either. 

The kunoichi nods, "Of course." 

"Motoko-san should we-" She raises her hand interrupting the ninja. 

"You two just sit back, I'll handle this." And with that she proceeds to swiftly search through the bags, being as the woman had requested of her, discreet when it came to the contents. "You shouldn't mind the two over there." She nods her head towards her male ninja colleagues. "Our village has a lot of enemies…and I'm sad to say that most of them aren't above using women and children to infiltrate and cause destruction to Konoha…" She explains carefully. "They're just trying to do their job…" She finishes with the last bag. "Well, that all seems to be in order…Now…" She pauses. "I do have to pat you down for concealed weapons…just part of standard procedure…It should only take a few minutes and after that you can enjoy your stay in Konoha without a hitch." 

"Put me down girl, I'm no puppy." Pakkun finally says to the little girl still holding onto him. 

"Concealed weapons huh?" Yoichi smirks as he holds his hands up in mock surrender as she very lightly pats him down. "I got a concealed weapon I can show you later if you're interested." 

"Yoichi!" Essa glares at her son. "Behave will you?" 

Gojyo chuckles and goes over to Koemi, taking 'the dog' by the scruff of the neck as he pulls it from Koemi's arms and places it on the ground. "Come on sweetie pie." He lifts her in his arms, leaning in and making raspberries on her tummy. "I think the 'puppy has had enough cuddles for one day. How about you cuddle with Daddy instead?" He gives this Motoko woman a bored look. "So do we pass inspection already?" 

Motoko ignores what Yoichi said. "I'd say you're good to go." She smiles then glances down at Pakkun. "I assume you'll be taking them to Kakashi-san?" 

"It's what I've been waiting around here for…" The dog responds gruffly. 

"Right, well I need to head back to my patrol…Enjoy your stay in the village." She raises her hand in farewell before she disappears. 

"Finally…" Pakkun mutters before looking back to them. "Come on, I'll take you to Kakashi…" 

"Great…" Yoichi grumbles. He was hoping they wouldn't pass then they could go home. There was no way this village was going to be anything but dull. The moment they walked through the gates he was ready to turn around and walk right back out. He had better things he could be doing, better yet there were some girls he could be doing…. 

"Stop it Yoichi." Mieko walks in step with her brother, speaking low under her breath so only he can hear. "Mother has been looking forward to this. Don't you dare ruin it for her." 

Yoichi sighs. "You're right Mieko-chan." He ruffles his sister's hair affectionately and rests his arm around her shoulder as they the follow the talking dog. "But you can't tell me it isn't a little weird, having a dog as an escort." 

"At least it's a cute dog." 

"Whatever you say…." Yoichi rolls his eyes and smirks. 

Mieko gives him a poke in the side and giggles as she turns to look at Hansuke over her shoulder. He'd been moping around all weekend since they had left the festival. "What do you think of the village Hansuke? I think it's adorable." 

Hansuke shrugs. "Whatever…" And he continues walking along practically dragging his feet. His hair was now cut very short, resembling Daijiro's instead. It seems Hakkai's middle daughter had now developed a crush on the younger crimson haired twin, so he had cut his hair in a vain attempt to get her interested, and started dressing to emulate him now. 

"He really needs to pick a style and stick with it." Yoichi shakes his head. 

"Yes, like you really need to pick a girl and stick with her." Mieko smiles politely up at her older brother. 

"Yea…riiiight. Like that's gonna happen." 

"Hey… dog… are we getting close?" Gojyo is getting impatient. It feels as though they have been walking forever and they are nearly on the other end of the village. 'They would have to live out in the boondocks…' 

"We're here." Pakkun stops and turns to them. "Right over there…the place with the green door…and now I go…" The dog has had enough of sitting around idly for days…and he is determined to bite Kakashi should the shinobi dare summon him back any time soon. And he 'poofs' away. 

*** *** *** 

Obito grumbles to himself…his mother had made him spend most of the morning cleaning out his room…while Ai had to patch up her walls herself this time. 

His parents are for the moment talking in the kitchen…actually talking with no yelling involved…or the other thing…'Not that that's going to last long…' He thinks to himself. 

*** *** *** 

Mieko looks at Essa who is now visibly excited and looks as though she wants to run right up and bang the door in. 'They must be awfully good friends…" She thinks to herself as they near the house and she giggles. "I'll race you mother." Mieko keeps tight hold of her basket in one hand as she picks up her skirts, walking backwards a little as she turns to look as her mother, taunting her. 

"Silly girl." Essa shakes her head at her daughter, trying not to laugh. "I think it would be appropriate to show a little more decorum than that." 

"Aww… come on mother. If you win I'll do whatever you say for a week." 

"You do that anyway." Yoichi smirks. "You little kiss ass." 

"Oh shush…" Mieko smacks her brother on the arm, then she smiles mischievously blushing as she speaks. "Please mother? You race Daddy to the bedroom all the time." Not waiting for a response, she turns tail and runs then. 

"You little…" Essa's face flushes and she laughs, running at breakneck speed after her daughter, stopping and panting slightly at the door when she reaches it second, giving her daughter a good hard whack on the rump. "I didn't think you talked like that." Essa blushes. 

"I don't ." Mieko giggles. "But it got you to run didn't it?" Mieko gives the front door several good hard taps with her knuckles. 

*** *** *** 

"Obito! Ai! One of you go see who's at the door!" Hana hollers from the kitchen. 

"I'll get it!" Obito responds as he takes his sweet time in getting to the door…by the time he gets there, the person had already knocked a second time and Ai is just a little way behind…she had probably thought that he hadn't bothered to answer the door and gone to do it herself. 

"Will you open the door already?" She frowns. "You're being rude." 

"Whatever…" He rolls his eyes and opens the door. 

Mieko can't speak. Her eyes get huge when she sees him at the door. On impulse before her mother even has a chance to say hello, she gives him a dirty look, taking a two foot long summer sausage from her basket and whacking him over the head with. Once, after giving it a second thought…twice for good measure. 

"You pervert!" 

"What the – " Obito doesn't know whether to be angry or laugh about it…one thing he is sure about is that he's very confused…and it takes him a second to remember the girl…green eyes…"You." He states simply before wondering what the hell she is doing on his doorstep. 

Ai had watched the entire display with a great deal of amusement and try as she might the sight of her brother being whacked over the head with a sausage proves too much and she starts laughing. 

"What on earth did you do this time, ni-san?" She still laughs as she goes to stand by his side. 

"What are you laughing about!" He snaps clearly irritated that Ai finds the situation so funny… 

"I am laughing at you...baka." She goes on calmly. 

"Who are you calling a baka you fu-" Ai clamps a hand over his masked mouth before he can go on any further and nods her head to the group of people they had temporarily forgotten. 

"…May I help you?" She offers like her brother wondering just who they are…and what they're doing here… 

Essa looks from her daughter to the young man, raising a brow curiously. Without a doubt this was unmistakably Kakashi and Hana's son. He was the spitting image of his father, although he seems to lack the subtle charm of the elder Hatake. So it would follow that the girl must be his daughter. Matching masks…somehow she hadn't expected that though. She turns to the young girl smiling as the others catch up to them at the door. "Your parents should be expecting us. Can you tell them Gojyo and Essa are here?" 

"What was that all about?" Yoichi chuckles as he reaches the door looking at his little sister and resting his arm on her head. He had seen the reaction of his little sister when she had opened the door and he couldn't help but laugh himself. 

"That pervert had the nerve to kiss me." Mieko points accusingly at the young man who is looking very annoyed at the moment as his sister still has her hand over his mouth. 

"When?" Yoichi looks amused. "It must have been so quick I missed it." 

"That makes two of us." Mieko huffs. It had been a quick kiss and in her opinion pretty lousy, not that she cared. She hadn't wanted him to kiss her anyway. 

Ai removes her hand and gives her brother a steady look, "Behave…I'll be right back with them…" And she turns and runs off to the kitchen. 

Obito's eyebrow twitches slightly before curiosity gets the better of him, "So…how do you know my parents?" But before anyone has the chance to say anything a startling yell comes from the kitchen. 

"WHAT?!" Hana's voice rings out. 

"Dear God, what now…" The masked Nin sighs. 

This is followed by some very rapid footsteps and Hana barges in to stand in the doorway shoving Obito aside. She gapes at the group of people standing there…and the expression on her face…Obito can't help but laugh a little…he had never quite seen his mother so…stunned before…well perhaps when he got his first tattoo… 

But that expression quickly fades to anger as she looks back to her calmly approaching husband, "Kakashi!" 

"Surprise?" The older Hatake offers. 

"So this is why you've been cleaning out the spare room!" 

It's fairly apparent that whatever Kakashi had arranged…he'd neglected to tell his wife. 

"Umm…" Essa looks from Kakashi to Hana a little uncertainly. "I suppose this means you weren't expecting us?" 

Gojyo chuckles as he steps up dropping the suitcase he is carrying in hand, and shifting Koemi to that arm. "Yeah well… surprise surprise. Does this mean we aren't welcome?" He gives Hana a little wink. 

"Daddy? Are we going to have to go home?" Koemi looks at her father her lower lip quivering a little." 

"Didn't you just say you wanted to go home earlier?" Hansuke looks at his little sister, smirking slightly at her. 

"That was earlier…" She looks down at Momo, giving the doll an extra hard squeeze, before looking at Hana with big sad green eyes. "Are you going to send us away?" 

"Oh I don't think even Hana-chan is that heartless." Gojyo smirks at Hana. 

Essa takes in a deep breath and looks at Kakashi. 'I'm going to have to whack him in the head with a sausage…' This just gets worse and worse she thinks as she wonders just how her daughter came to know the pervert's son. 

Hana's anger melts away just like that. "That little girl is she…" Then she looks at the rest of them and her gaze flicks to Essa. "Then you're…" Hana squeals in delight and Obito flinches…he had never heard his mother make a sound like that before. "Oh, come in! Come in!" She gushes taking Essa by the hand. "We have so much to talk about!" 

Even Ai eyes her mother curiously…none of them had seen her this excited in a long time. "Kakashi, Obito do help them bring their things in and Ai be a dear and help out where you can." Hana tells them that same smile still plastered on her face…it's almost unnerving…to them at least. 

Essa breathes a sigh of relief, smiling brightly as she gives Hana's hand a squeeze. "After 23 years I do suppose we do." Essa gets a warm fuzzy feeling inside, almost like it had been just yesterday when she and Hana had cooked up their scheme. 

Gojyo gives Kakashi a smirk as he walks in with him. "You know … you still know how to cause a shi**load of trouble." 

"Mommy!" Koemi covers her Daddy's mouth with one of her tiny hands. "Daddy said a bad word." 

"I guess that means I'll have to spank him later." Essa giggles as she whispers in Hana's ear. Then she calls over her shoulder. "Well you tell Daddy he's in big trouble." Essa gives her husband a look. "Honestly you're worse than the boys." 

Mieko walks through the doorway past Obito, eyeing him warily as she is careful not to brush against him. "Pervert…" She hisses under her breath as she tucks the sausage back into the basket and follows her mother and Hana. 

Hansuke only smirks as he walks on by. Not saying a word. 

Yoichi stops and gives Obito a friendly slap on the shoulder. "Damn man. Whatever you did you sure got her pissed at you. You that lousy of a kisser?" 

Obito is about to retort but Kakashi calls him over, "Get over here boy and carry something." 

"Whatever…" Obito shrugs as he goes to help his father. 

Ai remains where she is, eyeing the visitors with only partially masked curiosity…she could offer her help to carry something in but she'd rather let Obito handle it…and knowing her father…her brother probably would be the one to do most of the work. 

Hana hasn't stopped talking. "Oh, you have to tell me everything!" She prattles on. "The children, what you've been doing all this time – everything!" 

"Oh my goodness…" Essa laughs as she sets down her basket of gifts on the coffee table. Sitting down with Hana on the sofa. " There's so much to tell.." 

"Of course there is." Gojyo winks as he parks himself on a comfy chair with Koemi on his lap. "We got married… had four kids… and still found time to stop a demon resurrection somewhere in the middle of all that." 

Essa frowns at Gojyo. "How is it men can sum up 23 years in one sentence?" Then she shakes her head and looks back to Hana, pointing out her children one by one. "Yoichi is our oldest…and tons of trouble," She frowns a little deciding not to explain the fact that he is a womanizer while Koemi is still in the room. "Mieko is our second…" 

"And absolutely perfect." Yoichi rolls his eyes before his mother can continue. 

"Shut your mouth Yo'! Your mothers talking." Gojyo gives his son a steady look. 

Yoichi sighs and leans back against the wall of the living room, looking as bored as ever. "Yes sir." He mutters. 

"See what I mean?" Essa sighs as she looks at Hana. "Hansuke is rarely any trouble though and of course Koemi is our little doll baby." Essa smiles brightly as she reaches over and gives her youngest a little tickle in the tummy. 

Hana sighs at the sight of the little girl, "She's so adorable…I wish Ai and Obito were at that age again…What I wouldn't give to get my sweet little boy back…" 

"I'm telling you Hana-chan…Obito never was sweet." Kakashi comments as he passes through. 

"I agree with you for once, Oyaji." Obito follows closely behind his father. 

Hana shakes her head despondently, "That boy…" Then her gaze shifts to her daughter who is still calmly observing them…determined to learn as much as she can about these strangers. "At the very least Ai behaves…" Then a new thought strikes her. "Pictures! I have to show you some pictures!" And with that Hana bounds up to grab several thick albums off of a nearby shelf. 

"You better not show them any of me…" Obito grumbles knowing full well that his mother intends to whip out the baby pictures when he was still 'sweet' and 'untainted'. 

"Of course I do!" Hana snaps. "I can't show them any recent pictures all you ever notice are those awful tattoos!" 

"So, now would be a bad time to let you know I've expanded it?" 

"You what?!" 

Ai sighs and throws a shuriken, narrowly missing her brother's head before it embeds itself into the wall. 

"What was that for!" Obito instantly rounds on her. 

"We have guests idiot, and you're being an even bigger moron than usual." Ai responds calmly. 

"Oh, you want to start something little sister, fine bring it on!" Obito drops whatever he's holding in favor of a fighting stance. 

Hana takes a deep breath, "Will you two stop it! For the last time: No throwing weapons in the house, and keep all taijutsu and ninjutsu to the training grounds!" 

Obito and Ai glance at each other. 

"No genjutsu either!" Hana quickly adds. 

"Aaw, rats." Obito sighs half-heartedly. 

"Listen to your mother kids…" Kakashi passes them again. "Obito keep moving, we're not done yet." 

Hana shakes her head again and turns apologetically to their visitors, "I'm sorry…this kind of thing seems to happen a lot…" Then she remembers what she was going to do. "Right the pictures…" 

Oh my gosh…." Essa squeals as she looks at the pictures and comes across one of Obito, who was probably about 3 at the time, playing in the water at a lake with his father, whose mask was still in place even there. "He was soooo adorable." She looks at the picture then glances over to the doorway he had just passed through with his father. "One would never guess…All those piercings and tattoos…" She looks once again at the picture just to make sure it was really him, before flipping to the one behind it, it's one of Ai at about age 7 in a dress her hair pulled back with a ribbon though the child in the picture looks a touch uncomfortable. "Oh how sweet…" Essa coos. Then she smiles up at Ai. "I gather you never cared much for dresses?" 

Ai sniffs and sighs shaking her head politely. "No ma'am." 

Mieko smiles at Ai. "Mother has never let me wear anything but dresses…" Then she looks to Essa. "Not that I'm complaining." She really did like wearing dresses and while she had thought about wearing slacks now and then, she had never really considered it, deciding it would be much too confining for her taste. 

Yoichi looks around the room, casually observing the little details, all in all it's not so very bad, and reminds him quite a bit of their own home. 

He then looks over at Ai. She doesn't seem to be a bad looking girl. But whatever reason she is dressed as she is with half her face covered like her brother he simply can't understand. "There's something to be said for a woman who dresses like one." He comments in a very casual manner. 

Mieko glares at her brother and Gojyo plops Koemi down and gets up, going over and pinching his son's ear as he drags him to the next room. "Time for a talk about your f***ing manners boy." 

"Geeze Dad…" Yoichi protests indignantly as he's pulled along by the ear. "I'm not a child. I'm 22…" 

"Is Yo-Yo in trouble?" Koemi looks at her mother her eyes huge. 

"Yes." Essa smirks. " I think Yo-Yo is in big trouble." One thing about Gojyo…he didn't like when offhand comments were made about nice girls and apparently in these few minutes he had decided just as she had, although she was perhaps a bit unusual they had both decided she was exactly that. A nice girl. 

*** *** *** 

Finally, some time later things seem to have settled down a little. Hana had told Ai to go take the girls up to her room since that's where they'd be staying while Obito had been instructed to take the boys up to his. 

"Just so you know…" He looks blankly to Yoichi. "This will be the only time I'll ever take a guy up to my room." 

Yoichi chuckles. "Yeah well.. Don't think I'm so crazy about this deal either. How the hell am I supposed to get any action around here sharing a room with you?" 

*** *** *** 

Mieko carefully places her bag on the floor looking around the room. Quite neat. A bit plain for her tastes but all in all very nice. She looks at Ai uncertainly. "Where would you like us to put our things?" 

"Wherever you like." Ai responds as she goes to lock up her weapons cabinet…probably a bad idea to leave unlocked when a little girl would be staying in her room. She then turns to smile at Mieko, "So what exactly happened that caused you to…" She chuckles a little. "Hit my brother over the head before? I thought it was great…usually the girls either yell, cry or slap him…but your reaction is the most original yet." 

"I can't believe that…that pervert…he's actually your brother?" Mieko grumbles. "He chased me all over town a couple weeks ago. Then he had the nerve to kiss me when I was too out of breath to do anything about it…then he poofs before I can smack him silly." Mieko sighs. "He's even worse than Yoichi, and I never thought I'd say that about anyone." Then she smiles as she recalls the events that occurred later that particular evening. "But I was lucky enough see him with the town tramp that night…and he got his." Mieko giggles as she explains the details. She sure hoped it took him forever to wash off that sticky drink. 

*** *** *** 

"So … what's the deal with you guys? That's a new look for me. Especially for a girl. Not like your sister's ugly or anything. Why hide her face? Bad overbite or something?" He makes a motion to indicate the masks, then he goes back to carefully unpacking his things in the drawer Obito indicated he and Hansuke could use. 

It wasn't like Obito cared one way or another where they put their clothes. His were usually on the floor anyway, if he hadn't had to clean up. 

"I started wearing the mask because I thought it looked good…then I found that the ladies really dug it…so it stuck and as for Ai…" He rolls his eyes. "For her it's really more of a case of hero-worship and blind ambition…She practically idolizes the old man…and all she ever talks about is becoming the greatest kunoichi in the village's history…" He pauses briefly. "That and she doesn't want to get 'distracted'…" He adds. 

"Oh…a daddy's girl." Yoichi shudders. He steers clear of those. In his experience those are the ones who like to 'cuddle'. He got the feeling his sister was going to be one of those too, she wasn't going to be a one night stand kind of girl by any means. "Just like Mieko." Then he thinks again and laughs. "Okay maybe not quite like Mieko. Your sister isn't exactly a girly girl is she?" 

Obito snorts, "Hello no!" He shakes his head. "My mother keeps bugging her to wear something to 'show off her femininity' but so far she's yet to budge…she practically had a fit when Ai cut her hair…and refuses to grow it back out again." He chuckles. "Looking through her room you wouldn't even know it belonged to a girl…" 

"Well… since she's obviously not my type I can cross her off my list…though I suppose you could find us someplace where I can start adding to it." Yoichi smirks. " You must know place or two in this town where I can find some 'ladies' who are interested in some serious action." 

"Do I ever…" Obito smirks deciding to let the comment about his sister slide…after all it isn't like Ai would let him get anywhere near her. "If you're all set to go we can head out right now." 

*** *** *** 

Ai decides that she likes Mieko very much…heck, anyone who could do those things to her brother and get away with it is alright in her book. 

"It's a real pain with him sometimes…" She sighs. "You wouldn't believe how many angry people have turned up on our doorstep on account of something he's done…" She pauses thoughtfully. "It used to be worse one or two years ago…most of the guys assumed that I'd be a lot like my brother…'open to sensual delights'…" Ai shakes her head in disgust. "But they stopped coming after I broke one guy's jaw, snapped the other's arm and stabbed the third in the leg with a kunai…" But she quickly shrugs it off and resumes her smile. "Hey Mieko-san…would you like me to show you around the Village?" 

*** *** *** 

After getting Koemi settled down for a nap, Mieko is delighted to accept Ai's invitation to have a tour of the village and she's anxious to see more of it. After getting approval from her parents they make their way through Konoha chatting pleasantly as they get to know one another better. 

At first Mieko's eyes go wide in disbelief as she considers the things Ai had told her earlier…. 'Broken jaw…snapped arm…stabbing…' She was sure Ai must have been exaggerating. But as they make their way through the village, the boys steering clear of her she realizes that Ai was quite serious. "Oh my… the worst I've ever done is kick them between the legs." Granted she had punched one or two as well but, somehow judging from the reaction by the different boys in how she handled the situations, the kick between the legs had been the most effective. "But I sympathize…you know Yoichi has such a terrible reputation with women, a lot of the boys seem to assume I am just as …'experienced' as he is." Mieko blushes slightly. She loved her brother dearly but his reputation was helping make her social life non existent. 

"Looks like our brothers both got some things in common, huh?" Ai sighs. "…Does yours have a fan-club too?" 

*** *** *** 

Obito has taken Yoichi down to his favorite 'pick-up' spot. 

"And now…we wait…" He smirks behind his mask…the ladies knew he liked hanging out here…and there always were a few of the more 'devout' Obito followers skulking around. 

Not even half a minute goes by before…"Obito-kun!" A small group of girls cluster around the Nin thought a few of them cast curious glances to his companion. 

He chuckles at the attention and wraps his arm around the waist of the one he likes best, "Hey girls..." 

"Obito-kun…who's your friend?" A particular perky one asks. 

Yoichi gives the girl a quick glance and frowns slightly. She's just a tad bit too perky for his taste. He prefers his women on the sultry side. Perky girls…they tend to be cuddlers too. He shivers. Even the thought of cuddling turns him completely and well off. 

*** *** *** 

Mieko thinks about that one for a moment. "I'm not sure you can call it a fan-club as such…more like his own personal harem. They seem willing to drop anything the second he calls." Mieko sighs and shakes her head. "Honestly some women have no self respect what-so-ever. The day I am at some man's beck and call like that…" she shudders at the thought. "I suppose this 'fan-club' of his only helps feed that enormous ego of his. His head is like…" Mieko puffs up her cheeks and gestures with her hands as to the size she thinks Obito's head must be swelled to, crossing her eyes as she does. 

Ai laughs, "You've got that so right! I've tried beating some sense into him before but so far it hasn't seemed to work." She shakes her head. "That fact that I'm better than him at most of the taijutsu and ninjutsu doesn't seem to faze him in the least…although there was that one time I 'accidentally' broke his toes…" Ai smiles. 

Mieko laughs then. "You're terrible. Accidentally...sure..." Mieko shakes her head slightly. "I barely know how to fight. I don't like to. But Daddy forced me to learn enough to …deter… most unwanted advances as he put it. Though I failed miserably deterring your brother. I couldn't even give him the slip in a town I knew better than he possibly could have." She grumbles slightly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Somehow I don't think anything could knock sense into that head of his. I don't think there's room for anything in it but his over inflated ego. Honestly he and Yoichi together…I don't even want to think about it." 

"Obito is bad enough on his own…" Ai sighs. "You know he once had a fling with a married woman? Her husband pestered us for days…your brother ever do something stupid like that?" 

*** *** *** 

More girls have gathered by now and Obito is clearly enjoying all the attention he's getting. "See one you like yet?" He turns to look to Yoichi. "If not, I got some other spots we can try." 

"Well…" Yoichi gives Obito a look, gesturing him to come closer. "I tend to prefer girls who are not quite so openly enthusiastic. They tend to want to hang around a little too long after the fact … you know what I mean? I don't like dealing with the hassle of them whining about …cuddling… or worse yet… being there when they wake up in the morning." Yoichi lets out a slight groan at the thought. "Don't you just hate it when they offer to make you breakfast in the morning?" 

*** *** *** 

"Not that I am aware of no…" Mieko's eyes go wide. "Married…no… I really don't think so…" But then she can't really be sure. Usually Yoichi was pretty discreet about things. "He did… umm… you know…with one of my teacher's once though…" She remembered that one. "Mieko grumbles."He never called her after it. I swear he's the reason I got a 'B' instead of an 'A'…" 

Ai shakes her head, "This is why I stay clear of boys…they're nothing but trouble." 

*** *** *** 

Obito chuckles, "Which is why I usually leave before they get the chance to do that…I guess a change in location might be necessary…I know a few open-minded tea-house girls that might just fit your description…" With that being said, the silver-haired shinobi starts moving away from the crowd of girls who all whine in disappointment. 

"Don't worry ladies…" He smirks. "I'll be back another time…" 

"That could do the trick. Besides… according to my sister you can just sort of poof and disappear, I don't have that luxury " Yoichi gets up grinning. "I have to sneak out the hard way." Then he tugs lightly at his earlobes. "Tell me these teahouse girls of yours don't squeal like this bunch…I swear. My ears are ringing." They really were quite the whiners in there, and he was looking for something a little easier on his ears. 

*** *** *** 

"I'd like to think all boys aren't trouble. I mean Hansuke is very sweet. He's just a little obsessive when he likes someone. " Mieko shrugs. "So there must be some good ones out there, it's just I seem to attract all the lowlifes…" Mieko sighs. "And I know mother holds out hope that Yoichi will come to his senses one day and settle down with one nice girl. Though I don't see that happening anytime soon." 

"Same thing with Obito…I don't think he'll ever change…" Ai shakes her head. "I mean, I know boys aren't all bad…my team-mates were actually really nice…but I'm not about to risk anything distracting me from my goal…" 

*** *** *** 

Obito has allocated a tea house where he knew the girls required a little more than a smirk and a wink to get them interested. He seats himself at a table while Yoichi sits across from him. 

Before long a girl approaches their table, "Good Day gentlemen." She says politely. "What can I get you today?" 

A blonde. Pretty as she may be, Obito isn't interested in the least. 

Yoichi notices Obito's lack of interest so he gives the blonde an extra hard look, wondering that there must be something wrong with her. 'She's certainly attractive enough…' He settles back, in his seat smiling up at her, speaking in his smoothest voice. "Well some sake would be nice… other than that perhaps you could suggest something that might interest me. I'm not seeing anything on the menu that's quite to my taste. " 

*** *** *** 

Mieko rubs her stomach which has just started to growl a little. It must be well past lunch now and they'd had breakfast quite early and nothing in between. "Do you know someplace nice to have a quick bite?" Mieko blushes as it makes another odd noise. "My stomach seems to be having a mini argument with me." 

"Of course." Ai responds as she looks around. "There should be a teahouse not too far from here…and Konoha's dango are the best." She smiles as she starts heading for the mentioned place. 

*** *** *** 

The girl proceeds to suggest several of Konoha's specialties to Yoichi but Obito isn't paying attention as he lets his eye wander around the place to see if he can score someone for himself…then he sees just what he's looking for…a brunette sitting on her own in the far corner…'Perfect…' He smirks as he leaves Yoichi to chat the blonde up. 

"Hey…I noticed you're sitting here all on your own…" He remarks as the girl looks up to him. "Why don't you come over and join me at my table…It'll be my treat…" 

The girl observes him with an almost bored expression…but she seems interested, "I can order anything I want?" 

"Sure…" Obito responds keeping in mind to make sure she doesn't take advantage of his offer…but once he got her to his table food would be the last thing on her mind… 

"Alright." She rises from her seat with a little smile and allows Obito to lead her back to his and Yoichi's table where he is still busy talking to the blonde. 

*** *** *** 

"Oh for pity's sake…" Mieko sighs as they approach the teahouse. There right by the window she can see her brother chatting up the pretty blonde waitress and Obito's arm is around an equally attractive brunette. "We haven't even been in town but a few hours…" 

Ai shakes her head disapprovingly. "What I wouldn't give to wipe that smirk off of his face…" To others it may not be so clear but to someone who wears a mask like herself, Ai can tell very easily what the person's expression behind the fabric is… 

Mieko smirks mischievously as she turns to Ai. "I think I have an idea…" She grabs Ai by the hand and pulls her around the corner hiding behind the wall as she steals a few cloth napkins from the tables outside, tucking them inside her dress and adjusting them carefully. " What do you think?" She holds her arm lightly beneath small cloth bump, grinning. "Does it look real?" 

Ai does a little adjusting of the napkins herself. The smirk beneath the mask growing. "I think it will pass. Besides I doubt the sorts of girls those two pick up could tell the difference." 

"Okay…"Mieko rubs her eyes hard to get them red, and blinks several times trying to muster up some crocodile tears which quite impresses Ai. 

"How do you do that? Make yourself cry so easily?" Ai looks at her admiringly. 

"Lot's of practice. You wouldn't believe how much trouble I get out of this way." Mieko winks, "Okay here I go...wish me luck." 

Turning to the door of the teahouse, one arm beneath the 'baby bump' and the other hand on her 'aching' back she waddles herself into the main room. Catching sight of Obito and wailing at the top of her lungs. "Waaaaah! How could you!…You you…adulterer! How could you leave me… w-w-when I'm carrying your child! Waaaah!" She wails even harder the tears streaming down her face as she throws herself at Obito's feet, clinging to his leg. 

"What the hell?!" Obito exclaims and feels the brunette stiffen and shrug out of his hold. "Wait, this isn't what it looks like-" 

"Bastard!" She snaps and grabs a drink from a nearby table and douses it over Obito's head, "How could you do something so cruel!" She huffs before stalking off. 

"But I didn't do anything!" Obito exclaims completely bewildered and his attempts at calling the brunette are futile. 

The blonde waitress looks increasingly uncomfortable and makes to move away…she doesn't seem all that interested anymore… 

"Hey come on…" Yoichi protests as he takes blondes by the wrist. "You don't understand this girl is my sister…" 

"Your sister?!" The girl yanks her arm away and looks at Yoichi in disgust. "How could you? Your poor sister…and you're out drinking with the guy who knocked her up and left her? You're worse than he is." She gives him a dirty look and knocks him over the head with her serving tray before storming off. 

Once the two girls are out of earshot Mieko rests her arm on the table and begins to laugh uncontrollably as she gets to her feet. "Sorry…" She looks from her brother to Obito very innocently. "I just wanted to say hi…" As she turns and starts to walk out again she discreetly un-tucks the napkins from her dress, balling them up in one hand. "Oh… I almost forgot," and turning to drop them in Obito's lap. "Thought you might want say hello to the twins." A satisfied smirk forms on her face as starts to walk out. 

Ai had watched the entire display and cannot contain herself any longer, she laughs harder than she has in years and grasps both Mieko's hands in hers once the girl triumphantly re-emerges. "That was so perfect!" 

Obito is not pleased…that's the second time that girl had ruined his chances with someone and he only gets angrier when he hears the unmistakable sound of his sister laughing… 

"Ai…" he growls and rises with such ferocity he almost turns the table over. He doesn't know how much of a hand his sister has in this but right now he doesn't care. He's angry and he needs to vent it out…He stomps out of the tea house and a quick look around shows him his sister congratulating Mieko on her 'fantastic performance'. 

"Ai!" He snaps. 

Ai releases Mieko's hands and turns to face her brother calmly, "My, ni-san…that's quite a good look for you…" She responds smugly eyeing his wet hair. 

"Listen here you little b*tch we are going to deal with this now!" Obito is absolutely livid. 

"Fine, d*ck-for-brains! I'll kick your a** so hard you won't be able to sit on it for months!" She responds while they both take on a fighting stance. 

"Mieko-san…you might want to stand back a little…" Ai cautions the girl before the siblings lunge at each other. 

'Oh no…' Mieko looks suddenly ashamed. She hadn't really thought it would cause a fight. And the way it looks right now she doesn't dare step in between them. 'Me and my bright ideas….' She clenches her fists at her sides and glares at the young man who seems to get her so worked up by just existing. "Obito…don’t be mad at Ai-san! It was all my idea!" 

"Big surprise there." Yoichi folds his arms over his chest as he gives his sister a dirty look. "That wasn't funny. You totally f***ed up any chance we had with those girls." 

Mieko bites the inside of her lip. It was very funny she had thought, and still did. What was not funny was her causing Ai and Obito to fight. And her declaration of guilt hadn't seemed to do any good. She didn't mind Yoichi and Obito being angry at her, but she really hated seeing the two siblings fight so. "Please stop fighting." Mieko yells. "I'm sorry Obito-San! I promise I won't do anything to ruin things for you anymore! Just stop fighting please!" She raises her voice in exasperation. 

"Should have thought about that before!" Obito briefly pauses to call over his shoulder…unfortunately this gives Ai the perfect opening and she strikes him down with a swift kick to the jaw. 

"Don't let your guard down, ni-san!" She cautions. 

"Why you-" Obito is back on his feet in an instant. "I'll send you flying!" 

Ai looks as though she's about to retaliate with another kick while Obito draws out a kunai. They make contact with something…but not each other. 

"You two cause too much of a scene…" 

"Motoko-sempai…" Ai says quietly. 

The kunoichi had blocked Obito's kunai with one her own as well as successfully parried Ai's kick. 

Obito scowls at her…Miu could be irritating but her sister Motoko is by far worse… 

"What did you two get in a fight over this time…" She sighs as she puts her weapon away once the Hatake siblings seem to have cooled down somewhat. 

Obito tucks his kunai away, "I didn't start it…" 

"Technically, you did…" Ai points out. 

"What?!" 

"Hey." Motoko puts a hand on Obito's shoulder. "Knock it off." 

Yoichi is grinning, twice in one day he's seen this woman. Twice in a few hours actually, and he's not complaining. Not to mention this is the perfect opportunity to get a little payback on his sister. "Actually beautiful, if you want to know the truth of the matter… she started it by getting pregnant. A couple hours in town and she's already knocked up by a local." He jerks his thumb towards his sister. 

Mieko glares at her brother. "I hate you…" 

Motoko eyes them all blankly before shaking her head and sighing, "I really should report you for causing a public disturbance…" 

Ai gives her brother an angry look, 'Damn him if I get into trouble…' 

"But…" Motoko smiles. "I'd be a whole lot more satisfied just slipping the info to your mother." 

"You wouldn't dare…" Obito scowls at the smiling kunoichi. 

"Oh, I would and you know it…" She responds smugly. "Or…would you rather I make…your little undercover mission public? I overheard Miu talking about it…" 

Obito tenses considerably and blushes underneath his mask and he does not blush dammit! "Motoko…" He growls warningly. 

Ai raises an eyebrow, "Undercover mission?" 

"What are you talking about, undercover mission huh?" Yoichi raises a brow curiously. "I'd like to hear about this, sounds intriguing." Yoichi smiles at her…."Maybe during a little undercover mission of our own." He winks at the , what he considered to be very attractive and very challenging, woman. 

Mieko doesn't care what they are talking about. And she wished Yoichi could stop trying to flirt for two seconds. This was serious. The only part she heard was 'slipping the info to your mother.' She just wasn't all that sure what would happen if this whole little mess was found out. If her parents found out about that little prank she wasn't so sure fake tears were going to get her out of trouble. And she'd be horrified if she ruined her mother's visit. "Can’t we just leave the mothers out of this? I don't want to ruin mother's visit with the Hatake's." Looking as apologetic as she can she kicks the dirt with her toe. 

Motoko gives Yoichi a steady look, "Listen you may be cute but you're going to have to try a heck of a lot harder than that if you want my attention…" Then she smirks. "Besides…I only get involved with men who can beat me in a match…Isn't that right Obito-kun?" She adds condescendingly. 

"Would you quite rubbing that in already…that was five years ago…" Obito groans in irritation...Motoko is the reason he stopped pursuing kunoichi and went for the 'normal' girls instead. 

Ai had always admired Motoko…to her she represented the ideal kunoichi…even if the older woman did dress differently. 

Next Motoko turns to Mieko and smiles reassuringly, "Relax…I was just kidding about telling Obito's mother…I just did it to make him squirm…" 

"I hate you so much…" Obito responds flatly. 

"Better watch your tongue Casanova…I got some dirt on you that I just know will give your reputation a serious dent…" The kunoichi smirks wickedly. "But I'll keep quiet for now and use it to blackmail you later." 

Mieko let's out a sigh of relief, she was glad that was over. That was a close call. She really needed to keep her brilliant ideas to herself before she did end up getting in trouble with her parents. One day those crocodile tears of hers just weren’t going to cut it. And she wasn't always going have someone else to blame for it. 

Then again her stomach growls and she looks to Ai. "I forgot…what we came for in the first place." She looks back at the teahouse, smiling brightly for a moment. "Do you think we can still get some of those dango you were talking about?" 

"Sure, no problem." Ai responds her mood brightening considerably as she takes the other girl by the hand and they both venture back into the teahouse where just moments ago the entire mess had started… 

"Now you behave…" Motoko cautions the two men. "And Obito…I might not tell your mother about what happened today…but I can certainly mention those…new piercings of yours." 

"You live to see me suffer, don't you?" Obito glares. 

"Oh, please…that would be giving yourself way too much credit…" She shrugs. "Watching you suffer is just something I like doing in my spare time." 

"I can't believe I ever asked you out…" The masked Nin sighs. 

"If memory serves me correctly you never really got the chance…how many fractures was it again?" 

"…Six." 

For a moment Motoko looks genuinely surprised, "Wow…I didn't think you'd actually remember that…" She smiles in memory. "I met your mother for the first time that day…your father had to restrain her…What was it she said again…oh yeah something like 'I'll break every bone in your body for hurting my baby'…You know it's a pity that a woman like her gave birth to such a sorry excuse of a man…" 

"You were a b*tch back then and you're a b*tch now…" Obito scowls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naruto was still an ongoing series at the time that this happened, and the CYOA was also ongoing, so we took a lot of liberties with how matters played out, simply because we couldn't know how things would play out...


	3. Chapter 3

Obito is not a morning person...But he had been willing to get up two hours earlier than usual in the hopes of being able to snag the bathroom first...unfortunately both his parents beat him to it... 

'What the hell is taking them so long...they've been in there for ages...' He thinks grumpily. Actually he has a very good idea of what it is that's taking his parents so long...hence he has the earplugs firmly in place...while they aren't being all too loud it doesn't mean he likes hearing the splashes, gasps and occasional grunt. 

'Do they really need to get their freak on this early in the morning...' He sighs to himself. 

Then finally...the door opens and both his parents emerge, fully clothed thankfully...his mother's face is slightly flushed and his father is just smirking slightly behind the mask. 

"Are you guys done in there?" Obito demands gruffly. 

"Oh? Were you waiting to use the bathroom?" Kakashi responds calmly. 

The younger Hatake's eyebrow twitches slightly...of all the stupid questions..."Why the f****** else would I be standing here?!" 

"Ssh Obito." Hana hisses and whacks her son in the arm. "There's a young child in this house, so there will be absolutely NO swearing." 

Obito just rolls his eyes, brushes past his parents and slams the bathroom door shut...he is still ticked about the previous day's events...and he is determined to take his sweet time...he doesn't even bother to make sure that the door is locked properly... 

Mieko sighs as she stretches a little before getting out from the bed. Ten people…one bathroom. She isn't really a morning person but, if she doesn't get up early she might have to wait all day only to be able to take a quick shower, and what she really wants is a long hot bath. 

Rubbing her eyes sleepily, she grabs for her robe which was at the foot of the bed…and now on the floor. 'Annoying…' She's feeling too lazy to bend over so instead she uses her toes to pick it up, pulling it on over her nightie. Being very careful not to wake either Ai or her little sister Koemi, she very slowly shuts the bedroom door behind her. 

She shuffles slowly out into the hallway her eyes only half open as she knocks on the bathroom door lightly with her knuckles, "Anybody in there?" 

After waiting a moment and hearing no response she opens the door and locks it behind her. Still rubbing her eyes and yawning, she slips off her robe, first one arm and then the other, fumbling a bit as she tries to hang it on the hook behind the door. When it falls to the floor she just can't be bothered to pick it up. She lets out one last yawn and stretches before blinking several times trying to wake up fully as steps towards the bath pulling aside the shower curtain. Her eyes grow huge and she gasps, 

"Oh my God...." taking a step back, she slips and falls hard on her rear-end. 

Obito's eyes widen slightly and he'd turned to face whoever it was who had pulled the curtain back on him…He still has his mask in place but other than that he's standing in the tub in all his bare glory. 

His eyes widen a little further when he sees just who it is that had walked in on him and he smirks…not even bothering to cover up…especially when he notes just where her gaze seems to be lingering…he uses the opportunity to check her out himself…while not naked that nightie doesn't exactly classify as decent covering either… 

"Oh my God…" Mieko repeats, gasping and clamping her hand over her mouth. "Oh my…" Her face is turning more crimson than the streaks in her hair… she is sure of it. After several very long moments she finally realizes she's staring somewhere she ought not to be. "Oh God…I'm sorry…" She can't seem to think of anything more to say, and she squeezes her eyes shut tightly as she reaches behind her trying to get hold of her robe which seems to be just beyond her reach. 'Oh my God…' she thinks in horror. 'It's pierced…' She squeezes her eyes shut tighter but that image is just not going away. 'Darn it… where is that robe…?' 

"Oh, you're not leaving already, are you?" Obito chuckles and steps out of the tub to crouch by her side. "Why don't you join me…" He adds, his voice low and the tone suggestive. He is getting a real kick out of her obvious discomfort. "You saw mine…maybe you ought to return the favor and show me something of yours…" 

"Don't even think about it…" Mieko shivers and inches back, turning her head away as she opens her eyes. Catching sight of her robe, she grabs for it and scrambles quickly to her feet. Reaching for the doorknob and twisting it with no luck, and she wants to scream at herself. 'You just had to lock it didn't you ... you idiot…' She's utterly annoyed with herself and with him, as with trembling hands she quickly unlocks it and pulls it quick and hard, hitting herself in the face with the edge of it. 

'Ouch.' Obito thinks and reaches out to grab her by the shoulder but Mieko seems to have had enough alone time in the bathroom with him and dashes out, hand to her face. 

"Oh well…" Obito chuckles to himself. "Guess this morning isn't too bad after all…" 

*** *** *** 

Ai yawns as she sits up, blinking the sleep out of her eyes before she notices Mieko missing. Koemi is still asleep so the kunoichi moves stealthily and quietly to prepare her clothes for the day. 

Mieko rushes into the room slamming the door behind her, hand over her face. 'Breathe Mieko…breathe…' She thinks to herself, her chest heaving as she takes in nervous breaths. She can't stop shaking and what's worse she can't get that image of Obito out of her head. "Oh God…" She gasps and leans back against the door, banging her head against it lightly. 'I finally get to see one and it had to be…that… that pervert's…' 

"Mieko-san?" Ai approaches her. "Mieko-san, are you alright?" She asks in concern then gently pries the girl's hand off of her face. She gasps, "What happened?" She'd had her share of injuries to know a black eye developing when she sees one. 

Mieko shakes her head slowly. "I'm just an idiot…I opened the bathroom door on my face." It's not a lie. That's exactly what she did. She just would prefer to leave out all the details leading up to that particular, incident. "Is it bad?" Mieko winces slightly as Ai inspects the injury. It stings already and she's pretty sure it must look pretty awful. 

*** *** *** 

Yoichi is grumbling as he rolls over in the unfamiliar bed. It's comfortable enough but he'd had a lousy night's sleep. It really sucked to have been in the mood, have the perfect opportunity, only to have it ruined by his sister. And that Motoko woman was playing hard to get. He wasn't used to having such bad luck with women and he doesn't like it one bit. 

He gives Hansuke a little nudge with his foot. "Stop snoring already will ya?" 

"Uh?…" Hansuke only mumbles a little then rolls over covering his head with the pillow. "Yeah…right…sorry…" He promptly falls back to sleep and begins to snore even louder in his current position. 

Yoichi sighs. 'I'm gonna have to ask Obito for some of those earplugs…' He looks around the room wondering where he would have gone to so early. He sure didn't strike Yoichi as an early riser. 

Right on cue, Obito enters the room, whistling a random tune as he rummages through his clothes for a shirt. He then notices that Yoichi is up, "Hey the bathroom's free if you want it…" He then returns to what he was doing before he decides on just his standard sleeveless that he then pulls on cheerfully before securing the forehead protector loosely around his neck. 

Yoichi rubs his face and growls before sitting up on the edge of the bed. "How can you be so goddamn cheerful this early in the morning?" He gets up and goes over to the closet, pulling out a freshly pressed pair of khakis and a white linen shirt. A quick shower and change would make him feel worlds better he thinks. 

*** *** *** 

"It doesn't look all bad actually…" Ai tells Mieko handing her a towel-wrapped ice pack. "I've had much worse…" She had had worse alright…which is why she knows that it's much better to simply try and avoid Midori's powerful kicks. 

"I'll just duck off for a shower while it's free…" The kunoichi tells her whilst grabbing an armful of clothes she plans to change into afterwards. 

Yoichi is muttering under his breath as he heads for the shower. This trip just seems to be an absolute waste of his time and he can't wait to get back home. As he's thinking he reaches for the knob to the bathroom door just as Ai approaches. 'Damn…' He'd wanted to get in and out quick but, what could he do. "Ladies first." He opens the door for her, before leaning back against the wall ready to wait it out. 

"You're the guest…you go first." She responds unlike her brother, Ai remembers her manners. 

Yoichi shakes his head. "No really. You go first. It's not proper to make a lady wait." 

Ai is tempted to continue insisting on the proper protocol that guests go first…but the temptation to shower and get ready wins out. 

"I'll be quick." She says as she walks past him into the bathroom. "…Thanks." Then she shuts the door. 

*** *** *** 

'It doesn't look all that bad…? She must be crazy.' Mieko inspects her eye in the mirror. She'd never had a black eye before and it definitely did not make for a flattering accessory. 'Oh well…I probably deserved it.' She sighs. 

Mieko absolutely believes in karma. And this she is sure is her payback for that little stunt she pulled yesterday. Now she is only worried if accidentally walking in on Obito and staring at him like she did is only going to bring her more bad karma. 

"Oh well…no point in putting it off…" She gets up smoothing out the skirt of her dress before heading down to breakfast. She is hungry after all, and even a black eye isn't going to spoil her appetite. 

"Kakashi stop it!" Hana snaps and slaps her husband's hand away…she doesn't mind him placing his hand there normally…but they do have company. "I'm trying to get breakfast ready." 

"But I was helping." 

"Helping?! Since when has groping become 'helping'?!" 

"Encouragement." Kakashi responds calmly causing Hana to shake her head…but she does smile. 

Obito is already seated at the table and giving his parents a blank look…not even wanting to know how they'd been before they'd had children… 

Mieko stops at the doorway of the kitchen, smiling as she watches Kakashi-san 'helping' his wife. 'No wonder they're friends with mother and Daddy…they're just like them.' Mieko lets out a little giggle as she notices her parents are still absent from the table. Most likely they'd had a very late night or …very early morning. No big surprise there, it isn't an unusual occurrence for her to be the one making breakfast in the mornings. And considering she isn't a particularly early riser…breakfast is often a bit later than the average family has it. 

"Good morning Hana-san, Kakashi-san." She bows politely to them before taking an empty seat as far from Obito as she can manage, barely daring to acknowledge him. "Obito…" She nods to him her voice turning a bit quieter. There it is, she can feel her face flushing already as she thinks back. 'Get a grip Mieko…' she scolds herself. "Breakfast smells wonderful…" She says cheerfully, trying to shift her focus to the food. 

"I'm almost done." Hana turns to smile at the girl before her eyes widen slightly, "What happened?!" She literally drops whatever she's doing, leaving Kakashi to pick up where she left off as she rushes to Mieko's side. 

Obito doesn't say anything…he knows what happened…and he smirks at the memory. 

"She had an incident with the bathroom door…" Ai explains from the doorway…dressed in her standard ninja gear. 

Hana sighs, "You really have to be more careful dear…Ai why don't you let her use some of that healing salve your godmother gave you after breakfast?" 

Ai nods before taking a seat next to Mieko. 

Hana returns to Kakashi's side…and since he seems to have things well under control she thinks it only fair that she 'help' him this time around. 

"Hypocrite…" Kakashi chuckles. 

"You two are as terrible as Mother and Daddy." Mieko blushes and laughs. 

"Who says we're bad?" Gojyo growls as he comes in with Essa his arm around her waist before he gives her a good hard slap on the bottom. "Your mother seems to think I am very, very good actually. " Gojyo smirks as he takes a seat. 

"Oh shush. Like I would dare tell you how good you were. It would only serve to inflate that already huge ego of yours." Essa wrinkles her nose at her husband before turning to Hana. "Is there anything I can help you with Hana-chan?" She smirks as she notices Kakashi is the one doing the cooking at the moment. "Or Kakashi for that matter. You have him trained quite well don't you?" She winks at Hana. "I wonder…" Essa glances at Gojyo. 

"Don't even think about it. I'm untrainable." Gojyo chuckles and looks over at his daughter, raising a brow. "And where did that come from…" He leans in and catching her by the chin, inspects her eye. 

"I had a fight with the bathroom door." Mieko blushes. 

"Looks like the door won…" Gojyo raises a brow. "How the hell are you supposed to defend yourself against boys with raging hormones if you can't even beat down a bathroom door?" 

"Leave her alone Gojyo." Essa comes over and looks at her daughters eye, deciding it's nothing serious. "You and all your talks …it's bad enough you used to scare me to death, don't go scaring Mieko. All boys are not like you were… are…well sort of are." 

Just then Koemi comes in walking slowly and rubbing her eye with one fist and yawning, clutching Momo tightly in the other arm. She sniffles, then sneezes. "Mommy…I don't feel good…" 

"Oh Koemi-chan." Essa goes over and picks up her youngest touching her forehead lightly. "Poor baby girl…you've got a fever don't you?" She nuzzles her daughters neck. "Let's get you a nice bath and fresh jammies. Okay?" 

Koemi nods slowly and rests her head on her mothers shoulder as she carries her back up the steps. 

Kakashi finishes and starts serving breakfast up while Hana helps him. Ai rises to make tea…her parents always have tea. None of them bother to tell Obito to do anything…he never does. 

"Mieko-san, Gojyo-san…what would the two of you like to drink?" Ai inquires. 

"I suppose it's too early for a beer…so I'll settle for a coffee." Gojyo grins. 

"Anything is fine for me Ai-san thank you." Mieko looks up to her. 

Ai starts making Gojyo some coffee while Kakashi nudges his son. "Hey, go help your sister." 

"You really want me to do that?" Obito raises an eyebrow and Kakashi sighs recalling the time his son had nearly burned the kitchen down the last time he was told to 'do it himself'. 

"You've got hands, you can hand our guests their drink, can't you?" The older Hatake points out. 

"Fine…" Obito rolls his eyes before he rises from his chair to wait by his sister's side. 

"Here." She shoves four cups of tea his way. "Take one to Mieko-san…" 

"Alright…" He smirks as he takes one cup and casually saunters to the girl's side…placing the tea in front of her…just barely brushing her arm with his making it look entirely unintentional. 

Mieko hadn't expected that, and her body stiffens, completely as she sits up straight. "Thank you Obito-san." 

"G'mornin…" Yoichi strides in yawning as he does. 'What I wouldn't give for another hours sleeps.' He frowns as he takes a seat by his father. 

"Where's Hansuke? Isn't he up yet?" Gojyo growls as he looks towards the doorway. 

"Last I checked he was still snoring away. It's so F***ing loud I don't know how he can sleep through it himself." 

"What your goddamn mouth! We're guests in this house." Gojyo gives his eldest a smack in the back of the head. 

"Looks like someone got out on the wrong side of the bed this morning." Mieko giggles at Yoichi. 

"You should know shouldn't you." He growls at his sister then he looks suddenly concerned. "What happened to you Mieko-chan? That's a nasty shiner…" 

Mieko sighs. She's getting a little tired of having to repeat herself, she opens her mouth to speak but before she can. 

"You didn't hear?" Obito smirks, and he glances at Mieko. "Bathroom door was it, you said?" 

"Here you are, Gojyo-san." Ai hands Gojyo his coffee. "There's milk and sugar on the table if you want any." She informs him before turning her attention to Yoichi, "What can I get you?" 

He smirks and it's on the tip of his tongue to say "You could get me laid…" But the look his father is giving him right now tells him to hold that thought. "Tea would be very nice please. Thank you." 

"Well…" Essa smiles slightly as she walks back and takes a seat next to her husband leaning in to give him a light kiss on the cheek. "I think I am going to have to stay in with Koemi tonight. She has quite a fever. I'm afraid she's caught a nasty cold." 

"Awww…" Gojyo frowns. "Kakashi and I already made the reservations." 

"I'm afraid you'll just have to make it for two less." Essa says simply. 

"What reservations?" Yoichi looks at his father. 

"Nicest place in town Kakashi tells me." 

"You can still go mother." Mieko says quickly as she looks at Essa. "I can stay with Koemi. It's not as though I could go any place nice with this." She gestures to her eye and smiles. 

"I wouldn't feel right leaving you alone in a strange town…" Gojyo looks to his daughter uncertainly. 

"I'll be fine really. It's not like you'll be gone all night. And I've watched Koemi plenty of times before." Plenty wasn’t the word for it. As much 'quality' time as her parents needed she'd become quite an expert at it. 

Ai goes to prepare Yoichi some tea, "Essa-san, what would you like to drink?" 

"It would be a shame if you couldn't come…I just got Ai a new dress." Hana sighs. 

Ai drops the cup she'd been holding and it probably would have shattered quite noisily if not for Kakashi's quick reflexes. 

"Careful, Ai-chan…" He chuckles. 

"Kasan…" Ai tries to remain calm as she speaks. "What did you mean when you said you got me a new dress…" 

"I meant just what I said, we're going out someplace nice and you are not going dressed like you've just gotten back from the training grounds." Hana says firmly. 

Obito chuckles at the expression of abject horror on his sister's face. 

"But I'm a kunoichi!" Ai exclaims. 

"So are Ino and Sakura and they both wear dresses." Hana goes on. 

"But…I…" Ai hangs her head in defeat. 

"You're a very pretty girl Ai-chan. You'll look lovely in a dress." Essa says encouragingly. 

"I'll even fix your hair for you if you like Ai-san." Mieko brightens up. 

Yoichi bites the inside of his lip. The look on Ai's face is absolutely pitiful. It is the first time he'd ever seen a girl cringe so at the mention of the word 'dress'. It is almost cute he thinks. 

If anything, Essa and Mieko's input makes Ai feel worse. 

"I like my hair the way it is…" She huffs and Kakashi ruffles his daughter's head affectionately. 

"That's my girl…" 

"Oh, would you stop encouraging her!" Hana snaps. 

"Don't let her make me wear it…" Ai looks up at her father pleadingly. 

"Kakashi…" Hana says warningly. 

"Sorry, Ai-chan…" Kakashi laughs nervously. "Your mother's mind is made up." 

"Better get the camera ready…" Obito chuckles. "I doubt that's a sight we'll be seeing anytime soon…" 

"Of course!" Hana gasps. "Thank you for reminding me of that Obito." 

Ai gives her brother a dirty look.


	4. Chapter 4

How could this have happened…how…she thought she'd knocked the idea of getting her a dress out of her mother's head years ago…and yet here she is…in her parents' bedroom where her mother is holding the dress out to her. 

"Isn't it pretty? Finally something to show off your curves." Hana smiles cheerfully. 

"I don't want to show off my curves…" Ai remarks stubbornly. 

"Oh, stop being so childish, Ai." Hana chides her daughter. 

*** *** *** 

Kakashi is reading a book in the main room of the house…Obito had already left to pass the day in his usual fashion. He's just gotten to a particularly good paragraph when a knock at the door interrupts his train of thought. He sighs and rises from his seat, book still in hand to answer the door. 

As soon as he does a cheerful voice greets him, "Hey, Kakashi-san!" 

"Ah…Midori-san…" He smiles at the girl who is wearing her usual green attire. 

"I was looking for Ai-san. Is she in?" 

"Yes but…" Kakashi pauses. "She's a little busy and probably won't be able to train today…" 

"Oh." Midori blinks. 

"Would you like to come in for a little while? I'm sure I can call her down for a quick hello." Kakashi offers. 

"Alright." The girl nods and walks in past Kakashi before she proceeds to make herself comfortable. 

"I'll be right back…" The silver-haired man tells her before he goes to get Ai pretty sure she would welcome the temporary reprieve. 

*** *** *** 

"You look really pretty mother." Mieko smiles as she helps pin up her mother's hair. She remembers just a few years ago it was such a pretty shade of auburn, and now it was mostly grey, and she refused to be bothered with dying it any longer. But her mother's skin was still quite smooth, and age certainly didn't seem to have dampened her parent's 'affection' for one another. "Don't you and Daddy ever get tired of one another?" 

Essa raises a brow as she turns to look at her daughter. "Where did that come from?" Before tuning back to the mirror and finishing up the last bit of her makeup. 

"I was just curious." Mieko leans in behind her mother wrapping her arms around her shoulders and sighing as she rests her chin. 

"Your father can annoy me to no end at times." Essa smiles. "But no…I can't say that I ever get tired of him. And I'm pretty sure if you asked him the same question you'd get the same answer." Essa frowns, patting her daughter's arm. "Is something on your mind?" 

"Nothing important." Mieko shrugs, giving her mother a squeeze. "Enjoy yourself tonight mother. I'm going to go peek in on Koemi." Giving her mother a quick kiss on the cheek she heads out to check on her little sister. 

*** *** *** 

Yoichi is a bit more than annoyed. Obito had gone out to have himself a little fun. But Gojyo had refused to allow him to and insisted that he join them for dinner. 'Damn this is going to be such a drag.' He looks in the mirror, running his fingers through his hair making sure it's set just so. If he had to go to dinner he was going to look good at the very least. Maybe if he was lucky he might get a number or two for later. Though he somehow doubts this was going to be the sort of place to find 'his' type of girl. 

*** *** *** 

Kakashi knocks on the door and waits patiently for Hana to open it. 

"What is it Kakashi?" She doesn't look too pleased about being interrupted. 

"Midori's stopped by and wants to give Ai a quick hello." He explains. 

"Midori's here? I'll go see her now." Ai virtually jumps at the idea of getting out of there and hurries past her parents. 

Hana frowns at Kakashi, "Now look what you've done, it's going to take forever to coax her back in here." 

"Not if you know how to talk to her…" The older man smiles gently. 

Hana sighs…True enough Kakashi had always been able to talk Ai into doing practically anything…from eating all her vegetables when she was a little girl to taking the flower-arrangement classes along with the other girls when she joined the academy…although she had been the one, who convinced Kakashi to talk her into that one… 

"Hmmm…more importantly though…what will you be wearing?" He wraps his arms around his wife's waist and nuzzles her gently with his masked face. 

"Kakashi…" Hana giggles. "You only said Ai'd be down for a quick hello and I can't get my hair messed up now…" 

"Fine…" Kakashi sighs. 

Hana leans in and rests her head on his chest. "It's nice though…going out with friends…the whole family safe at home in the village…" 

"You really do worry a lot, don't you…?" He observes. 

"How can I not…knowing that whatever moment we share could potentially be our last…" 

Kakashi tightens his hold around her by just a little, "I promised to always return home to you, didn't I? So stop worrying now…" He kisses the top of her head reassuringly. 

*** *** *** 

"She wants me to wear a dress…" Ai tells her friend mournfully. 

Midori looks sympathetic, knowing the masked kunoichi has an aversion to the particular garments, "Is it really that bad?" 

Ai flushes slightly, "It's gonna show some leg…and…" She points to her chest. "I don't think I can get away wearing the bindings…they'd just show through." 

"Well…you are still a great kunoichi, Ai." Midori pats the girl's hand reassuringly. "No matter what it is you wear…and…you could consider it training." She adds as an afterthought. 

"Training?" Ai raises an eyebrow…had Midori lost her mind? 

"What if you have to go on an undercover mission? You may not always get to wear what you're comfortable with…think of this as 'preparation'." She explains. 

Ai thinks it over…maybe if she just thinks of the dinner and dress-wearing as a mission…she'd be able to get through the night…"That might work…" 

"I know you can do it, Ai." Midori cheers her on. 

"Thank you, Midori…talking's really helped…" 

"Ai." Kakashi says from the doorway. "Better head back…your mother's getting impatient. 

Ai sighs but does as her father tells her to, "I'll see you tomorrow Midori…" And with that she heads back…though she does not look nearly as dejected as she did earlier. 

*** *** *** 

As she passes her father in the hallway as he's leaving the shower, hair still damp and shirt unbuttoned. Gojyo ruffles Mieko's hair lightly stopping to look down at her proudly. "Thank you for offering to stay with Koemi, baby girl. I know your mother would have been a little disappointed not having the chance to catch up with Hana." 

"I don't mind Daddy. Koemi will probably be asleep most of it anyway. And I think I'll take to hiding until this eye heals up a little." She laughs. 

"A bathroom door huh?" Gojyo still isn't quite sure he believes that one. "You and Ai didn't have a fight or something did you, and you trying to cover for it?" The girls are very different, at least in his eyes, maybe they aren't getting along already. Other than Maemi and Aya, Mieko doesn't have a huge list of female friends. His daughter is so sweet and ladylike… (Had he seen the scene she made in the teahouse, he might not have thought so after all) 

Mieko looks shocked for a moment and bites the inside of her lip to keep from laughing. "Goodness no, Daddy. Ai and I get along splendidly. Really, it was the bathroom door. I went to open it and pulled too hard. Just me being clumsy, new surroundings and all." She gets on her tiptoes giving her Daddy a kiss on the cheek before going back to the bedroom she is sharing with Ai to check on her. 

Gojyo shrugs and leaves it at that. If she says it was the door it was the door. Then he gets a grin on his face as he goes to the guest room where he supposes Essa must be dressed and ready to go. He smiles as he looks at her changing her purses, taking all her necessities out of her everyday bag and placing them in the evening one. 

"Aren't you forgetting something?" He smirks as he starts to button up. 

Essa looks in her bag, inspecting the contents carefully, then looks up to Gojyo uncertainly. "No… I don't think so. Everything looks like it's there." 

The smirk on his face grows as he reaches into the bedside table and tosses his wife a couple condoms. "You never know when the urge might hit me. Though I'm pretty sure it's going to be just before they serve dessert." 

Essa blushes. "If you dare get us caught this time…" She recalls the last time they'd gone to dinner alone. They'd snuck off to the ladies room locking themselves in a stall, when Gojyo couldn't resist making it impossible for his wife to keep quiet. She was so embarrassed when they finally emerged and there were several women there staring and smirking. They had skipped dessert entirely and left the restaurant. Though it hadn't phased Gojyo in the least, in fact he was quite proud of it. 

*** *** *** 

"Oooooh. You look so pretty Ai." Mieko exclaims as she opens the door to their room and catches sight of her in the dress, but she frowns slightly as she gets a closer look. "But… may I ask why the veil?" Odd family… everyone covers their faces. 

"…Kasan wouldn't let me wear the mask…" Ai sighs frowning at her reflection in a mirror. "…We had to compromise." 

However most of her irritation is focused on her chest…Like she had predicted, she couldn't wear the bindings…Why oh why did her mother have to pick a dress that showed cleavage. 

"I wish they were smaller…" She mutters to herself. 

"I know how you feel." Mieko sighs, sympathizing completely as she goes over to the drawer and hunts through some things. 'I must have something the right color….' She knows very well how Ai must feel, she herself tries very hard to avoid showing too much cleavage as she finds that just seems to be where boys and men's eyes tend to drift. "Mother is always worried hers are too small but I think she's perfect. But Daddy teases her sometimes and says the god's must have skipped a generation and given her share to me." Mieko stands up then, sighing. "Then mother pretends to mope a little… Daddy plays kiss up…" Mieko shudders. Her parents spend way too much time playing games. 

Finding what she is looking for she comes over and holds out a pretty lace trimmed camisole to Ai. "I don't know if you want to wear it underneath or not. It's probably a little lacy for your taste…' in fact she knows it is definitely too lacy for Ai's taste but it matches the dress perfectly. "You can wear this underneath; it will cover you up a little more and still look very nice. If you can deal with the lace." 

Lace or cleavage…she honestly didn't think she'd ever have to ask herself that question…but in the end she decides that the lace is the lesser of the two evils and accepts the camisole. 

"Thanks…" She mumbles. 

*** *** *** 

"Kakashi…" Hana snaps slapping her husband's hand away yet again. "I'm trying to put some make-up on…" 

"You shouldn't bother with it so much…I think you look fine without it…" The masked man responds. 

"I don't want to look fine…" Hana huffs. "I want to look good…beautiful if possible…" 

Kakashi chuckles, "Hana-chan…you are a goddess…" 

"Laying it on a little thick, aren't we?" Hana raises an eyebrow but smiles nonetheless. 

"Only because it's true…" Kakashi responds and pulls his mask down briefly to peck her on the cheek. 

*** *** *** 

"Does it…look alright?" Ai asks Mieko a little nervously…she hadn't worn a dress in years and she can't help but feel awkward…the camisole does help though. 

And she honestly would have preferred the mask…the veil is alright…but it is a little more transparent…allowing her features to ghost through the fabric…even if just by a fraction. 

"Ai you look really pretty." Mieko gives her hand a little squeeze then winks at her. "Have fun tonight and make sure you keep Yoichi in line. It would be nice to not have my reputation ruined in this town too just because he's so…fickle." She tries to think of a nice way to put it. Fickle really doesn't cover what she wants to say but, she's fairly sure Ai gets the idea. 

*** *** *** 

"Geeze… how long do we have to wait?" Yoichi is standing impatiently by the door with Hansuke. Between Ai having to get ready, which he assumes is going to take some time getting that girl ready… and whatever his parents are probably doing since he'd heard some interesting sounds when he passed by the spare room… "We're going to be here forever." He growls. 

"Yo! Cut the attitude." Gojyo gives his son a glare as he comes down the steps, his arm around Essa. "And you better not make any offhand remarks about Ai-chan during dinner. I Expect you to act like a F***ing gentleman." He points accusingly at Yoichi. 

"Yare yare…" Kakashi chuckles as he joins them, hand on Hana's waist. 

"Oh, Essa I love what you've done with your hair." Hana exclaims. 

"You look very beautiful." Kakashi agrees. 

Inside her room, Ai is ready but desperately trying to postpone the inevitable…Maybe she can try and come up with some last minute excuse and not go…but her mother has her mind made up on this…and not going would result in consequences not even she is willing to deal with… 

"Might as well get this over and done with…" She sighs…'Remember what Midori told you…' She thinks. 'Think of it…as a mission…' 

Essa takes Hana by the arm. "I love yours too Hana." Essa gushes. "And that dress…where did you get it? I just adore it." Sometime before leaving Konoha she intends to go shopping. "Did they have it in green?" 

Gojyo rolls his eyes. He is going to go broke on this trip, he knows it. 

"Oh, it's the loveliest little shop; I'll definitely take you there." Hana responds just as enthusiastically. 

Ai carefully and quietly starts to descend the staircase…she's trying to appear as calm and dignified as possible…considering how uncomfortable and nervous she is feeling on the inside…'Give me an A-rank mission over wearing a dress any day…' 

Kakashi is one of the first to notice her…and his eyes widen considerably…Yes, it has been years since his little girl had worn a dress…but he hadn't quite expected her to change so…drastically. 

'Damn.' Yoichi gives a little stare. 'Who knew there was a girl under those clothes? And she's got some pretty good sized boobs…' He smirks as he thinks it. He ponders a moment as he rests his gaze there for a brief moment. '…apples…oranges…nope grapefruit, definitely grapefruit…just right. Too bad she's not my type.' Besides, he knows he'd get an earful if he even tried messing around with the daughter of his parent's friends, even if she would go for it, which right there put all end to that idea. 

Gojyo smacks his son in the back of the head, giving him a dirty look. "Pay attention when I'm talking to you." Then he hisses in his son's ear. "And keep your eyes at a decent level baka." 

"Hana-chan…" Kakashi gives his wife a disapproving look. "What did you do to my little girl?" He is not happy. 

"Oh, hush Kakashi." Hana gives his hand a slight smack. "Ai is a woman not a little girl." 

"Not if I have any say in it…" He mutters. 

Ai is feeling very uncomfortable…she doesn't like the staring… 

"Ai…what's this?" Hana instantly spots the lace. 

"Mieko-san lent it to me…" She responds simply before adding quietly. "I didn't want to show off so much cleavage…" 

Hana rolls her eyes, "They're breasts Ai. All women have them. You're a woman. Deal with it." 

Ai can't prevent herself from blushing…did her mother really have to say it so that everyone could hear? 

"But enough of this…Kakashi! Set the camera up!" Hana tells her husband cheerfully. 

"Do we really have to take a picture?" Ai almost squeaks. 

"Yes." Hana states firmly while Kakashi has little choice but to set the contraption up. 

Gojyo goes over to Kakashi and gives him a slap on the back. "You know you got nothing to worry about man. As long as they want to keep them covered you don't have to worry about them. It's when they start wanting to flash them around…" He says quietly. "Then you worry." He glances at his wife who is helping Hana fix Ai's hair neatly for the picture. So far as Gojyo knows no one had seen his baby girl in anything but the most modest of clothes. And so far as he knows she'd never even kissed a boy. And he hopes it staysthat way for a long time. 

"I've finished setting it up..." Kakashi sighs as he gives Gojyo a blank look…yes, he knows he can trust his Ai…but that doesn't mean he has to like her wearing that dress… 

Ai really doesn't like being fussed over so much…but makes herself endure it…she is a kunoichi…she has faced life or death situations several times…she will not let herself fall to pieces over something so trivial…not that it makes the task at hand any easier. 

"Alright, everyone get into position for the picture!" Hana announces brightly. 

Grudgingly, after getting a poke from his father, Yoichi shifts himself into position behind Hana with Hansuke next to him. Gojyo and Essa get into position on the right as Hana adjusts one last piece of hair on Ai's head as the girl sighs. 

"We don't have to like say 'cheese' do we?" Yoichi mutters under his breath. 

*** *** *** 

Mieko can't help but giggle as she watches the entire scene from the top of the stairs, before turning and going back in to check on Koemi. She goes over and sits on the edge of her sister's bed, pulling the covers up a bit more and tucking them around her. 

"Feeling any better Koemi-chan?" She smiles sweetly at her sister as she caresses her still warm brow with gentle fingertips. 

Koemi sniffles and shakes her head. "And Momo wants a kiss." She holds the doll up to her sister. 

"Oh she does…" Mieko smiles and plants a kiss on the dolls forehead, "I suppose since Momo gets a kiss it's only fair you get one too." She leans in and gives her sister a kiss on the forehead then several on both of her cheeks. 

That gets a little giggle from the girl. Then she looks back up at her sister with big puppy eyes. "Read me a story?" 

"A story…let me see…" Mieko scoots Koemi over a little as she gets in the bed with her. "How about I tell you a story about an evil prince and a fairy princess…" 

"Evil prince?" Koemi's eyes get wide. Her sister doesn’t normally put evil people in her stories. "What does he look like?" 

"Well… he has silver hair…" She begins then thinks the last part to herself. 'And tattoos…and a pierced…' She blushes at just the thought of it. 

*** *** *** 

Ai had honestly hoped that it couldn't get any worse…but it did…not only are people staring at her on the way to the restaurant (most of them male…) she is pretty sure that her solid reputation as a no nonsense kunoichi would now be ruined…'All because of a stupid dress…' She thinks bitterly. 

"Ai." Hana reprimands her. "Stop frowning." 

Ai sighs and tries to adopt a neutral expression instead. 

"You really hate this, don't you?" Yoichi can't help but feel a little sorry for Ai. "Wearing a dress I mean." 

"Is it that obvious?" 

"Just a little." Yoichi smirks. "But for what it's worth you do look very nice. Very pretty. Though why you insist on wearing that veil I've no idea." He peers at her face very closely as they approach the door to the restaurant. "You have beautiful eyes. So I would guess the rest of your face is just as …" He reaches for the edge of the veil making to peek under it, only to have his hand quickly slapped away. 

"Do that again and I'll break your hand off." She narrows her eyes up at him, hissing at him. 

"Alright already…see?" Yoichi chuckles as he stuffs his hands in his pockets. "Hands to myself."   
He smiles at her in understanding. "I tell you… you definitely aren't like any woman I've ever come across. They usually like what my hands are doing too much to want to try and break them." 

*** *** *** 

As per usual…Mieko is hungry. The way she eats one would think she would be twice the size she is but thankfully she has her father's metabolism. She looks through the refrigerator, finding some of the left overs from the dinner her mother had brought and she'd helped prepare the night before. There were plenty of sesame seed balls left, and a very little shrimp left and plenty of vegetables so she settles on making a quick stir-fry, and saving the sesame seed balls for later to nibble on. 

Koemi is sound asleep; the medicine she'd given her seems to have knocked her out completely, so she ate alone. It felt a little strange. She didn't often cook just for herself, but she had made plenty figuring that if Obito returned he might be hungry since he'd passed on having dinner out in favor of…'whatever else it is he does'. 

She quickly cleans up after herself, washing the dishes and leaving them in the dish drainer before looking through the cabinets for something to put the leftovers in. 

Obito has had a good time out and is glad his parents hadn't tried forcing him into participating in the dinner…he just is no good at that sort of thing…and they must've realized that he'd only spoil the evening rather than enhance it if they'd dragged him along. 

He enters the house quietly remembering that the little one and Mieko had remained there…he hears sounds coming from the kitchen so that's where he heads…and is greeted with an interesting sight…Mieko bent over rummaging through the cabinets…He continues to watch her from the doorway for a little while before he decides to break the silence…"Looking for something?" 

Mieko let's out a little scream of surprise, as she jolts up, trying to stand straight, forgetting completely that there is a tiny obstacle in her way. Something called a countertop. 

She howls in pain as she falls back on her rear-end, rubbing her head as she sits there a moment. "Oh boy…that's going to leave a mark." She glances up over her shoulder at him, still rubbing her head slightly as she points to the pan still on the stove. "I made dinner…" She offers, hoping she doesn't look as silly as she knows she does. 

Obito can't help but chuckle a little bit, "Why is it that whenever I'm around, you hurt yourself…" He goes and offers her his hand…seeing as she's still seated on the kitchen floor. 

Sighing deeply she takes his hand letting him help her to her feet. "Good question… when I think of a good answer I'll let you know." She turns back to the stove and grabs a clean plate from the strainer drying it off with a dishtowel. "Would you like some dinner? I made enough in case you were hungry when you got in." 

Obito inspects the contents of the pan, "Hmmm…it actually looks good." He admits. "I might have some…I did use up a lot of energy today…" He chuckles and with that he goes to grab himself a plate. 

"I really didn't need to hear that." Mieko wrinkles her nose as she puts a few spoonfuls on his plate before putting a little on hers, taking a seat at the kitchen table across from him. "I never thought I'd meet someone who was worse with women than Yoichi." 

Obito smirks he takes great pride in both his reputation and…abilities. "Or maybe I'm just better…" He proceeds to sample the food…somehow managing to do so without Mieko getting a proper look at his face. "Hey, this isn't bad…" He remarks thoughtfully. 

"I wouldn't know. And I wouldn't want to." Mieko says simply, wondering how he can eat without her getting a good look at him. Then she turns bright red as she realizes she's staring again at him for the second time today and she promptly turns her attention back to her food. 

Mieko's discomfort does not go entirely unnoticed...and Obito smirks remembering that morning's incident…'Might as well get back at her for that stunt she pulled the other day…' 

"So…" He starts calmly. "I take it that today was the first time you really saw a guy naked…and up close." He chuckles. "Did you like what you saw?" 

Mieko gasps her face turning beet red as she pushes aside her plate, feeling suddenly not hungry anymore. She rests her head on the table. Hiding her face in her hands. 'He soooo did not just ask me that…' She takes in a deep breath. "You really are a pervert…" She sighs as she looks up at him, her face heating up. "A nice boy wouldn't ask a girl a thing like that. And it was an accident. It's not my fault; I knocked before I came in." 

"Don't know if you noticed but…" He smirks. "I'm about as far from 'nice' as you can get…And I'm just curious…you did stare at it for a while…" Obito is just getting started…he intends to make her squirm as much as possible… 

"It was so ugly I was frozen in shock… is that a good enough answer for you?" She responds simply. 

Well he hadn't been expecting that one…"Hmmm…is that so…then what did you think about the rest of me?" He goes on. 

'The man just didn't give up,' Mieko sighs, feeling a little defeated. His head is swelled enough she is sure so her being honest can't possibly make him anymore smug than he already is, and she's not feeling confident enough to lie convincingly about anything right now. 

"That's hard to say. But the parts that aren't covered in tattoos or by a mask don't seem so bad to look at." Getting up from her seat she takes her plate and dumps the rest of her food in the trash, before going over to the sink to wash it. "Satisfied?" She mutters under her breath, a little more annoyed at herself than with him. 

"Not quite…" His voice sounds uncomfortably close behind her…Obito wants some pay-back and he's going to get it. "Your brother seems to be under the impression that I'm a lousy kisser…and I'm thinking you might have just lead him to believe that…" His hands settle on her shoulders and while he's standing close it's not close enough for their bodies to touch… 

Every muscle in her body tenses as she stands still as she can. 'No…He wouldn't dare…' She tries to convince herself, but she isn't all that sure of it. "Maybe I did... give him that impression, but you completely ruined my first kiss. That is just so completely not how I pictured it being. And it was lousy." She clutches the dishtowel in her hands as she shrugs her shoulders trying to get him to remove his hands. A nice boy… a nice romantic kiss that was how she had pictured it. And she was still frustrated with him for destroying that image in her mind. 

*** *** *** 

'Pretty decent place…' Yoichi looks around the dining room. There are a limited number of tables and it strikes him that it's probably not an easy place to get reservations for. "Going for broke are ya Dad?" He smirks at his father. 

"It won't kill us just this once. Besides I did pretty well at the festival, last week. Amazing how many drunks are willing to lose their shirts on a lousy hand." He leans over and whispers in his son's ear. "Besides I figured I'd better play a couple hands more than usual. I just knew your mother was going to want to go shopping with Hana." He gives his son a good look. "Now you remember what I said…" 

Yoichi chuckles as the proprietor greets them, escorting them to their table. "I know Dad… I know, be a gentleman. I got it already." 

And Yoichi intends to be just that. Before Ai has a chance to take her seat, Yoichi grabs it, very politely pulling it out for her. "Allow me Ai-san." He nods to her, a very small and somewhat sexy smile on his face as he stares right into her eyes. 

Ai blinks a few times…she isn't exactly used to this kind of treatment…and him staring into her eyes like that isn't making her any more comfortable. "Thank you, Yoichi-san." She responds nonetheless forcing herself to break eye-contact as she takes a seat. 

*** *** *** 

"Your first kiss?" Obito sounds genuinely surprised and maintains his hold on her. "Huh, if I'd known that I would have put a little more effort into it…" Then he smirks. "Well…I now feel obligated to make it up to you…" He leans down to say that last part softly into her ear and Mieko tenses considerably. He removes one hand from her shoulder and quickly draws a shuriken from his weapon's pouch and tosses it with enough force to flick the light switch off. And with the darkness to conceal him…he pulls down his mask, turns Mieko to face him and gives the girl her second kiss. 

'He did dare…' Mieko is breathless, and too surprised to protest, her arms falling limp at her sides as she drops the dishcloth on the floor. She doesn't seem able to do anything but let him kiss her. 

*** *** *** 

"You're most welcome Ai-san." He smiles taking the seat beside her and moving it just an inch closer to her. If nothing else he supposed she would make interesting conversation. "Have you ever been to this restaurant before?" He takes the menu as the waiter opens it and hands it to him. "I know I very rarely come to places so nice as this." At least not with women he thinks to himself. He made a pretty good living and even contributing to the household bills, he had quite a good bit of disposable income. So he often dined out with friends from work at places equally as posh as this. But he'd never bothered to waste his money by taking a 'date' to one. 

Ai shakes her head, "No…I don't really like dressing up so my parents don't usually bother taking me along when they decide to go someplace 'nice'…I tend to prefer tea houses and ramen stands…they're less…suffocating." Ai feels so out of place...and her hands fidget around in her lap. 

*** *** *** 

The fact that Mieko doesn't push him away or otherwise try to make him stop only encourages Obito to be a little bolder…as he now adds his tongue into the equation. 

Mieko is anything but relaxed right now. She reaches her hands back to grip the edge of the counter, her fingers have a vice grip on it and she doubted anyone could pry them away if they tried. It was the only thing besides his hands that was keeping her on her feet. But once she felt his tongue slip in…the feeling she felt in her chest was beyond terrifying and she turned her head away quickly, her cheeks flaming. "I didn't just let you do that…" 

*** *** *** 

Yoichi smiles almost gently as it really hits him just how uncomfortable Ai is feeling. "Really now … this place is huge and only a dozen tables. So you can't possibly feel suffocated unless you allow yourself to." He reaches over and gives her hand a quick reassuring squeeze before pulling it back before she has a chance to do anything to it. "You should take a deep breath, look around a moment and just take in the mood. If you gave it half a chance I am sure you would find a place like this could be quite relaxing." He looks around himself, as he speaks. It is a quite nice place. The lighting effects are subtle, dim enough to be relaxing but not so much so as to make it an overly romantic spot. Understated elegance. That would sum it up if Yoichi had to describe the place. 

Yoichi is being so nice to her…taking his advice she inhales deeply before she allows her gaze to wander…It is a nice place…and while she is feeling a whole lot less nervous than she did a moment ago…she'd still prefer to be someplace else. 

"Thank you…" She says quietly giving him a brief sideways glance and a smile…but whether or not he'd be able to tell through the veil she does not know. 

"See…" He grins and winks at her. "Not all bad is it now? And if you wouldn't mind maybe tomorrow you can show me one of those places you prefer to eat at. My treat." He smiles at Ai before he glances over the menu a moment. Trying to decide what he feels like having for dinner, but he's not in the mood for anything special so he's having a tough time of it. "Don't suppose this place is known for anything in particular is it?" Yoichi looks over to Kakashi. 

*** *** *** 

"Still think I'm a lousy kisser?" Obito smirks as he makes sure his mask is back in place. 

"No…" Mieko says quietly, a hint of disappointment in her voice as she reaches down to pick up the dishtowel she had dropped. Turning back to the sink she starts to wash up the dishes again. 'Just a lousy person.' She thinks to herself. 

Obito had switched the lights on again…but somehow…he doesn't feel quite as satisfied with himself as he thought he would…maybe even…a little guilty. 

Usually, he doesn't mind it too much when girls got either weepy or disappointed with him…but that'd be because they had been willing to get involved with him…he hadn't even bothered to wait and see if Mieko was willing…he'd pretty much forced himself onto her. 

'Ah damn it…' He sighs…he never was any good at apologies. Whenever he and his sister had a really bad fight, he'd just get her a new set of shuriken or kunai and that would be the end of it…but Mieko is definitely not like his sister…at least not in that aspect. 

"Hey…" He starts and trails off before resuming. "Sorry, if you didn't like the kiss…but you really should have tried stopping me." 

*** *** *** 

Kakashi looks thoughtful, "That's a good question…" 

Hana sighs and shakes her head, "I swear you do this kind of thing intentionally…" Then she turns her attention to Yoichi and the others before she suggests the restaurants popular dishes. 

"I just usually shut my eyes and select something at random…" Kakashi explains. "It's a surprise every time…really enhances the dining experience." 

Hana gives her husband a blank look…remembering when some of those 'surprises' had been something less than pleasant. 

Ai isn't really listening to the conversation…her mind is still stuck on Yoichi's words. _'Maybe tomorrow you can show me one of those places you prefer to eat at. My treat.'_

What does it mean…is he asking her out? Would it be classified as a date…should she refuse…but maybe he is just trying to be friendly…Yes, he is just trying to be nice. Ai tells herself. That is the logical explanation…he is just trying to be nice and make her feel less nervous. 

"Well I for one am willing to go with the close my eyes method. Cause I haven't got a f***ing clue what any of this stuff is." Even as Hana is rattling off the list of things she likes from the menu, nothing is sounding remotely familiar. He's regretting letting Kakashi talk him into taking everyone out to 'the nicest place in town'. 'Nicest place my A**…' Gojyo frowns as he looks at the menu again. "Damn place doesn't even have steak."…he mutters as he looks to his wife. "What the H*** is entrecote de boeuf?" 

Essa looks at him smiling slightly. "Steak. Specifically beef steak." 

"And how the f*** do you know that?" 

"It's French. Didn't you ever learn French?" Essa's smile grows brighter as does the sparkle in her eyes. 

"Not asking… don't wanna know…" Gojyo mutters closing the menu. 

"Ai-san…?" Yoichi leans in a little watching her closely, a slight smile forming at the corner of his lip. She seemed to be somewhere off in her own little world. "The waiter is here. Did you decide on something yet?" 

*** *** *** 

'Didn't like it…' She wished she could say she didn't like it. This was getting difficult. 

"Forget it. It's no big deal. I'll just have to settle on my third kiss having to be the one." Mieko smiles a little as she turns shaking her head lightly at him after she had cleaned up the last of the dishes and was drying her hands on the towel. She then turns to the refrigerator pulling out the container of sesame balls she had made that were leftover form the night before. Setting the stove so she can heat them up. "Want some?" She offers. It was still much too early yet for bed and she wasn't sure what else to do at home alone with Koemi upstairs sick. So she had settled on nibbling her way through the night. 

Obito raises an eyebrow. "More food?" He wonders if she always eats like this…'Maybe all the nutrients go to her breasts.' He thinks to himself as he inspects her figure a little more closely at the very least he is no longer feeling as guilty. 

*** *** *** 

Ai finds herself startled out of her thoughts and mentally curses herself. She's a kunoichi dammit! She isn't supposed to space out, she's supposed to be alert and aware of her surroundings at all times…'Curse this dress…' She thinks bitterly as her gaze searches the menu for something remotely familiar. "Uh…" Why oh why did her parent's have to choose such a place…she has no clue what any of the stuff means…couldn't they have added a translation? 

"Let's see…" Kakashi remarks with one hand over his eyes and the other circling over the menu while Hana hides her face behind hers, shaking her head. 

"Bring me this." He says as his finger settles on something and the waiter glances down. "And don't tell me what it is either, I want to be surprised." 

"Kakashi…" Hana sighs. 

Ai is tempted to use her father's method…if not for the thought of ending up with something horrible. She thought she felt out of place before…now she feels outright lost and continues to stare at the menu. 

Yoichi watches Ai a moment. Thinking somehow the simpler the dish the more she would prefer it, so he leans over and points out something on the menu for her, whispering in her ear as he points to the line on the menu page which says Poulet Rote. "Roast chicken if you like that." Then he points to another…telling her what that is… then a third. Three of the simplest dishes he could find on the menu. Then his breath is warm and light against her ear he laughs lightly."…and escargot are snails… somehow I don't think you would appreciate those." He moves away then and leans back in his chair as he turns to the waiter to order. 

Gojyo gives his son a look. "And how did you get to be an expert on this French stuff?" He had heard the whispers his son was giving Ai. 

Yoichi smiles. "Mother taught me." 

Gojyo grumbles. "Twenty-three years…how the heck did that go by without me knowing she spoke French?" 

*** *** *** 

"Well?" Mieko looks at Obito expectantly. "Do you want me to heat you up some too?" She looks at him uncertainly when he doesn't answer. 

"Sure…why not…if you made them I'm sure they'll be good." Obito smiles behind his mask as he makes himself comfortable. 

*** *** *** 

Ai had only been barely able to suppress the shudder when Yoichi whispered into her ear…but it hadn't quite had anything to do with the comment about the snails… 

'Get a grip on yourself, Ai.' She reprimands herself firmly and like her father simply points to what she wants to order on the menu, not trusting herself to get the pronunciation right. She'd gone along with one of the dishes Yoichi had suggested…and she is feeling very grateful to him right now…she really has to make it up to him. 

"Don't you dare complain if you end up with something you don't like…" Hana cautions her husband before ordering something for herself. 

"I never do…" Kakashi smiles before he gives the wine list a long hard look…He really is more of a sake drinker. Finally he turns to the waiter, "I know it's not on here but…are you sure you don't have some sake tucked away somewhere? Or got something similar to it?" 

"Just please…keep it away from my wife." Gojyo smirks up at the waiter. 

"Oh hush Gojyo." Essa gives her husband a dirty look, her face turning slightly crimson. 

Gojyo grins as the waiter leaves and starts to get up, Gods does he love when his wife blushes." You know… come to think of it…" He lets his hand slide up his wife's thigh, beneath the table, as he leans in, whispering not so very quietly in her ear. 

"That thing I was talking about earlier. I'm not so sure it can wait." 

*** *** *** 

"Here you go. I hope you like them. I even made the paste from scratch." She speaks proudly, as she sets a plate of the sesame sweets in front of Obito. Mieko then takes her plate and heads for the living room. Settling herself down on the sofa and curling up on it, and tucking the edges of her skirt around her bare toes, until she is quite comfy and warm. 

Obito is quick to follow…though this time he chooses to keep a more…respectful distance…and he watches her devour one of the treats. 

'Naughty thoughts…Obito…' He smirks to himself before choosing to settle in one of the other seats. 

*** *** *** 

Ai tenses slightly in her seat…she was quite used to seeing her parents tease each other and be otherwise suggestive…but it is more than a little uncomfortable to see Gojyo and Essa do so. She blushes slightly and looks down at her hands instead. 

Kakashi chuckles, "Good to see you haven't changed much in all these years...It certainly brings back memories…" 

Hana gives her husband a steady look…a warning look to watch what he says…she doesn't exactly want either of her children to know what exactly had transpired between the two couples those 23 years ago… 

Yoichi grins at his parents and then glances over to Ai, deciding he ought to give her fair warning as he leans in, his lips close to her ear once more as he whispers. "I suggest once they leave… you not go to the ladies room until they get back. You might hear something you don't want to." 

*** *** *** 

Mieko eyes Obito carefully, and lets out a light sigh of relief. She is thankful he had kept his distance , yet somehow it is a bit disappointing as well. 'Kiss and run…' She thinks soberly as she scolds herself. 'That's what he does…don't go thinking about him, Mieko…' She looks back at him again then. "Do you like them?" She has the plate set on the coffee table as she reaches for another, bringing it to her mouth biting it in half slowly, cupping her hand beneath it being careful not to let any crumbs fall onto the sofa. The filling is a bit messy and she gets a little on her fingers. After popping the last half in her mouth she licks and sucks off the little bit of a mess she made on her fingers. After a few moments, she can't help but notice he hasn't had any of his yet, and she looks a little worried. 

"Don't you like them?" 

'The damn girl puts on a great show without even realizing it…' Obito thinks to himself…he had been far too focused on…that tongue darting in and out of her mouth…sucking her fingers off…Who could blame him for allowing his mind to wander a little…he had found himself thinking of…one of the little 'tricks' in his book…and he can't help but wonder if she'd be any good at it. 

"I just spaced out for a minute there…" He explains then smirks. "You really like these, huh?" He picks one of the treats up in his hand eyeing it and Mieko in alteration. 

*** *** *** 

Even the veil isn't quite enough to hide Ai's blush this time…Whether it is from what he'd said…or perhaps more the fact that he is leaning in so close to her again. 

Why couldn't they had just left her at home to polish and sharpen her kunai and shuriken… 

How is it possible for people to be so…open about doing those things in public…not that her parents are any better…she'd been looking for them once when she was fifteen…and had glimpsed more than she wanted to see when she'd peeked in through a crack of the bookstore's storage room door. 

"You know…" Yoichi says quite honestly before moving slowly back away from Ai, reaching for his glass of water. "You're even prettier when you blush. You should do it more often." He means that entirely. His father had mentioned something once to him before about how that was something he had always loved about Essa. She blushed a lot. Personally after all the stories his father had told him about his life before meeting his mother, that had struck him as pretty odd. 

Most of the girls Yoichi knew either didn’t blush, or if they did it was to look cute. Or at least they thought it looked cute he supposed. He found it sort of annoying to pretend they were embarrassed when he knew they weren't really. But this was an honest blush. And he supposed his father made sense in what had said. It was a really appealing thing. 

He inches his chair even closer to hers so he wouldn't have to lean so far in to whisper. He had a feeling they might be whispering a lot tonight. "Your parents anything as bad as mine are?" He had already guessed the answer to that after the way they had behaved while making breakfast, but he thought he'd ask it anyway. 

*** *** *** 

"I think they are my favorite thing…" She stops and thinks for a moment. "Except for maybe banana fritters." Now that she had thought about it she wished she hadn't, as she is now in the mood for some. "Maybe I'll make those for dessert tomorrow…warm with some sweet syrup…" She smiles at the thought. Then she glances over at Obito. "I'm sorry." She blushes. "I know I must seem like a bottomless pit…Daddy says my appetite is insatiable…" She looks down now at her empty plate, a little embarrassed by how quickly she had eaten them all. She looks over at him hopefully. "Could I maybe have one of yours?" 

"By all means…help yourself." Obito pushes the plate her way…he'd never thought that watching a girl eat could be so entertaining…or stimulating for that matter. He had been really tempted to say something when she started talking about warm banana fritters with sweet syrup but decided against it…the girl is just so unassuming…'And I thought I'd been adequately satisfied before going back home…' He thinks to himself. 

*** *** *** 

'Calm Ai…what are you reacting this way for…' And much to her irritation she blushes even harder at what Yoichi said. She is used to being complimented on her skills as a shinobi…but not her appearance… 

She clears her throat a little before trusting herself to speak, "I would have to say so…" She responds softly. "They don't seem to have too many inhibitions when it comes to…that sort of thing." She isn't about to attempt to elaborate on her parents' activities…they may have no qualms talking about it (as she had learned when both she and her brother were given 'the talk') but she isn't quite so able… 

"What are the two of you whispering about over there?" Kakashi raises his eyebrow suspiciously his eyes flickering from his daughter to Yoichi. 

"Nothing in particular, Tousan…" Ai responds. 

Yoichi looks up to Kakashi, a respectful smile on his face. "Actually…I had just suggested that maybe she could show me around town tomorrow. See some of the places she likes, I'm sure it would be a completely different experience than the one I had when Obito was in charge of the tour." Yoichi resists the urge to smirk though the corners of his mouth twitch slightly as he looks sideways at Ai, giving her a little wink. "Hopefully a day with you will be more pleasant than the one I had yesterday." 

*** *** *** 

Mieko looks at Obito's plate, then up at him, feeling a little guilty for having even asked. "Are you sure you don't mind if I eat yours?" 

"Not at all." He pushes the plate towards her more insistently. "Go ahead." He looks at her expectantly. 

*** *** *** 

Kakashi bristles slightly at what Yoichi had said while Ai blushes again…he is very sure he knows the nature of the kind of 'tours' Obito would have given…and he'd be damned if Yoichi thought he could get anywhere with his little girl. 

"Really?" Kakashi responds a little too calmly and Ai tenses. "I suppose I should give you fair warning though…" The look he gives Yoichi is calm but piercing. "Try anything and not even the fact that you're your parents' son can save you." 

"Kakashi!" Hana smacks her husband's arm just as Ai frowns at her father. 

"I can take care of myself Tousan…" She tells him stiffly. "I'm a kunoichi and I don't need you to protect me…and…" She looks away from him for effect. "I really thought you'd have been able to trust me more by now…" 

"Ai-chan…" Kakashi sighs dejectedly. "I do trust you." He gives Yoichi a look. "It's him I don't trust." 

"Yoichi-san has been nothing but polite and cordial to me…" Ai feels the need to defend the young man. "I trust him to behave amiably…and so should you." 

Now Kakashi is stumped…Ai never talks back to him. 

"I think it's that time babe…" Gojyo leans in and whispers in his wife's ear before giving it a gentle tug with his teeth. He's in no mood to bail out his son now if he's going to mess with Kakashi's daughter. He'll just have to get out of it himself. "Two minutes. Be there." He gets up and without a word leaves her there. 

She looks from her son, to Hana and Kakashi, sighing and smiling. Hana can deal with this better than she could, and she knew from experience she didn't dare keep Gojyo waiting or he'd make sure things got 'noisy'. 

"I think Gojyo needs my help with something Hana-chan. So please, don't allow Kakashi to kill my son while I'm gone." 

Yoichi looks at his mother shaking his head and smirking as he watches his mother hurry in the direction of the ladies room. 'Let's see…' He glances down at his watch. 'I'll give them twenty minutes this time… might make it in time for the main course.' 

He turns his head to look at Kakashi, very seriously. "I'm not an absolute idiot Kakashi-san. And I'm not a cad either. I don't make moves on girls that aren't interested in me that way. And I'm pretty damn sure Ai-san could snap me in two if I even considered getting out of line with her. So you have my word, nothing is going to happen. " 

*** *** *** 

Mieko sighs in contentment as she settles back on the sofa, leaving the empty plate for the moment as she licks her fingers then wipes them off on the napkin she carefully folds on the empty dish. "That was soooo good…" She stretches her arms over her head and shifts a little on the sofa getting even more comfortable than she already was. "I should have made more though…" She laments as she stares at the empty dish. "I have to make sure to get plenty of ingredients tomorrow. I'll make three times what I usually do…that should be plenty for everyone and then some for a midnight snack." She looks at Obito uncertainly. "Is there a nice market here in town?" 

'How can she make it look so hot without even realizing it?' Obito thinks to himself before he responds, "Yeah there is…" Then he smirks. "Maybe this time you'll let me help you out though…" 

*** *** *** 

Kakashi still eyes Yoichi warily but decides to drop the matter…for now. Besides…Hana is glaring at him and her fingers are digging into his arm. 

"Kakashi…" She leans in to hiss into his ear. "Just wait until we get home!" 

"Looking forward to it…" He responds with a smirk. 

Ai sighs as she watches her parents interact…then turns to look at Yoichi. "I could actually do that you know…" She smiles slightly. "Snap you in two I mean." 

"Really now?" He thinks about that a moment. "Somehow I don't doubt that." He smirks. "If I had little more of my father's blood and a little less of my mother's though…I'd say you probably couldn't. Humans tend to be more fragile than demons or hanyous you know? But my blood's a hell of a lot thinner on the demon side." He chuckles then before noting the look in Ai's eyes. "Umm…I don't suppose you knew that Dad was half demon did you?" Yoichi runs his fingers through his hair a little nervously. For whatever reason he assumed she had known. But from the look she is giving him, it seems to be a bit of a surprise. 'Damn…' He thinks to himself. 'This is awkward.' 

*** *** *** 

"It's sweet of you to offer." She smiles. Right now he doesn't seem half bad to her, but she's sure he's just being polite and trying to make up for earlier. He had sounded a little guilty after that last kiss, and she certainly doesn't want him to feel obligated to do anything. "But I'm sure you'd be bored to tears if you came shopping with me. I take forever to decide on anything. And besides…" She forces a smile, as she says what she does next. "…I'm sure you have plenty of girls who would be heartbroken if you didn't get around to them tomorrow." Not wanting to seem either interested or disappointed, she was trying to play it off as a joke and sound amused. And even to her ears it sounded convincing. 

Obito shrugs, "They know that I do what I want…" He smirks. "And tomorrow I want to go shop with you…" Part of himself is surprised he even said that…hell, he once stabbed himself in the hand with a kunai just to get out of shopping with his mother. As casually as he can, he rises and goes to lean over Mieko…bringing his face nice and up close. "Unless you don't want me to…" He smirks. 

*** *** *** 

"Demon?" Ai repeats…Is that even possible? Her father had once explained to her about the Jinchuriki and Bijuu…but this man claims to actually be part demon as opposed to having something sealed inside of him…Not that it scares her…she is just…surprised and not sure what to make of it. She looks thoughtful and eyes Yoichi with some newfound curiosity…"…I don't think I've ever fought anyone who was part demon before…" She voices her thoughts, leaning her chin on her hand contemplatively, she smiles. "You might actually make for a decent match on the training grounds…" And she means it. 

"Yeah well…" Yoichi smirks. "I'm no where near as good as Dad, but I'd be willing to have a go. Just so long as you promise you'll be gentle with me. I'd like to leave the training grounds with all of my body parts intact." 

*** *** *** 

"I didn't say that." She shivers a little and sits back a little further in her seat as she looks at him. "I just thought it might be dull for you." 

"Don't worry…" He chuckles and gently cups her chin in his hand. "We can make it plenty interesting…" He releases her and pulls back, returning to his original seat. "So…that all you really do? I hope you've got some other hobbies…" 

*** *** *** 

"I'll try…" Ai smiles, a lot more comfortable with the topic of sparring. "I'll just stick to taijutsu and leave the kunai and shuriken out of it…that ought to be a fair enough handicap." 

Hana smiles a little to herself, 'Finally…she's taking an interest in boys.' 

Kakashi frowns, 'Dammit…she's taking an interest in boys.' 

"Handicap…Damn…" Yoichi chuckles. "If the guys at home found out I sparred with a cute little thing like you and lost…and better yet with a handicap. I swear I'd never hear the end of it." He looks to Ai thoughtfully. "So how about we make a day of it then? We'll get up bright and early and get the 'humiliation of Yoichi' out of the way. "He smirks slightly. Most men wouldn't even consider such a thing he is sure, considering how badly he would get ribbed about it after if he lost to her. And for whatever reason he is pretty certain that Ai could easily beat the crap out of him, but 'Heck it sure will be interesting to see what she can do.' 

*** *** *** 

"Other hobbies?" She thinks a moment and wonders what he must mean before she looks down at the empty plate on the table and realizes. "Oh… you mean besides eating." She giggles. "Well… I like to sew. I make most of my clothes…though I am sure that sewing must seem very dull to you. Especially if I told you I sew a lot of Momo's clothes too." She thinks a little, trying to think of something she likes to do that he might find interesting but nothing is coming to mind. "I guess I'm really pretty boring." She shrugs as she rests her chin on her hand as she leans on the arm of the sofa, staring at the wall as she crinkles up her nose. 'Oh God I am boring…' she thinks to herself. 

Obito chuckles, "I like to read." He offers. "Kind of inevitable since both my parents are big readers and my mother works part time in a bookstore…" He sighs at the thought of the bookstore…once his father had shown him the storage room and proudly proclaimed that he had been conceived there…a piece of information he really could have done without. 

*** *** *** 

Ai inclines her head with a nod, "I look forward to it." 

Hana's getting even more excited…her daughter is (sort of) going out on a date! Kakashi however does not look so pleased…but takes comfort in the fact that Ai probably could and would beat the crap out of the young man. 

Just then the waiter shows up and places the much needed wine on the table and does Kakashi ever need it. 

"Kakashi." Hana gives her husband a reprimanding look. "We're at a restaurant not a bar; you can't just throw your drink back like that." 

"Just don't let Essa-chan near it." Gojyo smirks as he walks back to the table, his arm around his wife's waist. The look on his face leaving no doubt that the time away from the table was well spent. He holds out the chair for his wife, who as she sits down very slowly and carefully. Her face is flushed but every hair is in perfect place. 

"Hush Gojyo. I know full well not to drink unless we're alone. No one has to 'keep' anything away from me." She touches her cheeks lightly with her fingertips. 'It seems to have gotten terribly warm in here.' She thinks to herself. 

Gojyo peeks inside his wife's purse and smiles to himself as he counts the condoms. 'Two down… two to go' 

Yoichi grins at his father and he tries to think…'I wonder …was it page 22 or 34?' Yoichi pours himself a glass of wine and looks over to his father. "Hey mom…dad. I know maybe you made plans or something for tomorrow but I'm not sure when I'll be back. I'm going to take my life in my hands and spar with Ai. More likely than not either she'll kill me then or Kakashi-san will kill me later after I take her out to eat." 

*** *** *** 

"OOOh…You like to read?" Mieko sits up then leaning in closer to Obito as she seems very interested. This is a pleasant surprise. Somehow he hadn't struck her as the sort of man who would be interested in reading. "What sort if novels do you like? The classics? Adventure…?" Mieko blushes a little then. "I have to admit I like to read myself, though I am not sure romance novels qualify as serious reading." 

Obito scratches the back of his head thoughtfully, "Well…the kind of books I like to read…could be described as highly descriptive narratives with graphic content." He chuckles. "I can show you a few if you like…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel kind of bad, especially since I'm the one who created (this) Obito, and he's being such a creep! -_-;


	5. Chapter 5

'Idiot…Idiot…' Mieko thinks to herself as she lies in bed the next morning not wanting to get up. 'He reads…' 

She had gone up to his room with him, parked herself on the edge of his bed, eager to see what it was he liked to read. Thinking to herself, 'Finally something he does that seems normal…' Then she thinks back to the book he had shown her, he hadn't even made it past the first page when she turned white as a sheet and hastily excused herself, getting up and backing away to the door, saying it was time she was in bed, it had to be late by now. Then she'd turned opening the door as she did and…Bam! She did it again. This time she had left a pretty good sized bump on her forehead. When she had inspected it in the mirror it hadn't looked too bad though, there was a bump for sure, but it would be easy enough to cover up with her bangs. "I'll be lucky to get out of this house in one piece…" She had sighed. 

"Why him? Why do I have to like that pervert?!" She scolds herself, taking her pillow she puts it over her face and screams into it, thrashing her feet in the bed slightly, throwing herself a mini tantrum. Somehow that makes her feel a little better and she takes in a deep breath, moving the pillow from her face, before sitting up seeing Ai stare at her. 

*** *** *** 

Yoichi wakes up early with a smile, something he never does (neither wake up early, nor smile when he does). But dinner had been quite nice the evening before. And oddly enough he found he had really enjoyed chatting with Ai. 'I really misjudged the poor girl.' He thinks as he remembers how polite she was last night. Originally he had thought she was nothing but a smart-mouth, the way she talked with her brother at the house, and worse yet the way she and his sister had cooked up that little scheme the other day. But he supposes Obito's personality would be enough to make anybody react that way around him. At dinner Ai had been quite sweet and soft-spoken almost, and he was pretty sure he caught the hint of a blush or two; that is until they had gotten around to the topic of sparring and her entire manner had become much more animated. 'Damn that girl…' He chuckles a little. '…How can she sound so cute when she's saying she could snap me in two?' 

The sensible thing to do would be to shower after sparring with Ai but that's just not his style. He'll just take a second one when he gets back. He stretches in bed, glancing at the window, noting how early it still is. Hansuke and Obito both look like they don't have any intentions of getting up soon. Hansuke he knows just likes to sleep. Obito he assumes just had a lot of 'exercise' the day before. 

The sun is just barely risen but it looks to be the start of a perfect day. Now that the summer festivals are over and the autumn season is here, the mornings are becoming a bit chillier. But the cold had never particularly bothered him; he prefers it. Summer is not particularly his favorite season. He dislikes the heat and moreover he hates being sweaty for no good reason, it just makes him feel uncomfortable. 

'Well, if I'm going to go down in a match against Ai, I'm going to go down looking good.' He grins as he gets up and goes over to the dresser getting out a pair of gray training pants, and a black pullover, before heading off to the shower. 

*** *** *** 

When she'd gotten up, Mieko had still been asleep…when she'd returned from a quick shower…Mieko is awake, with a pillow over her face and thrashing around. And now she's noticed Ai staring at her from the doorway. 

"…Is something the matter, Mieko-san?" She asks hesitantly. Ai is once again dressed in her usual ninja attire and is feeling much more at ease than she had when forced into wearing that dress the night before. She'd gotten up extra early…the thought of sparring someone new really excites her. 

"Ummm…" Mieko sits up and stares at Ai, entirely not sure how to explain away her little tantrum on the bed, so instead she just plays dumb. "Why should there be anything wrong?" She gets up from the bed smiling brightly as she pulls on her robe, changing the subject entirely. "You're up awfully early Ai-san. I'm sure it's not even close to time for breakfast." 

Ai raises an eyebrow…she knows Mieko is hiding something…but decides not to pursue the matter further…If Mieko doesn't want to talk about it, that's her business. 

"I'm going to the training grounds today." Ai responds to her question. "I arranged to spar with your brother." 

"You're sparring with Yoichi?" Mieko's eyes go wide as she reaches for the doorknob stopping momentarily to look at her with huge eyes. "Are you sure you want to do that? He's twice your size…" Then she thinks a moment. "Okay not that size matters or anything…" Having said that she blushes hard as she thinks back to the 'incident' in the bathroom with Obito. "Oh, never mind…" She hurries quickly from the room heading to shower. If she says one more word something stupid is going to come out of her mouth. She just knows it. 

Ai watches Mieko exit the room…she is slightly annoyed by the fact that Mieko seems to have her doubts about her, Ai's, ability to go toe to toe with her brother on the training grounds. Then again, she takes into account that the girl has never seen her fight…and she also doubts that anyone in her family is even fully aware of just what a shinobi is capable of. 

"I'll have to educate them I suppose…" Ai sighs to herself as she too exits the room to head down to the kitchen. 

"Well now…" Yoichi grins as he looks up from the kitchen counter, having poured two glasses of juice, one for himself and one for Ai. He leans back against the counter sipping at one and holding the other out to her. "I thought sure you would be up and ready before me." He glances at her ninja garb, giving her a good look over from head to toe, amused to note that the mask is back and he winks at her. "I still don't know why you hide behind that mask. I'm sure there are a ton of boys here in Konoha who are mighty disappointed by that." 

*** *** *** 

'This is what I need…a nice long bath.' Mieko settles into the warm water which she's filled with some of the scented bath oil her mother is fond of. A little peace and quiet, time to herself. She smiles closing her eyes, then frowning slightly at the images that come to mind. She frustrated. No matter how hard she tries she can't get the image of him out of her head, and it's not an unappealing picture either. In fact it's a terribly arousing image… 'So maybe he isn't right for me… but it can't hurt to think about it now can it…?' She slips under the water a little more, very glad for this bit of time to herself. 

*** *** *** 

Ai calmly accepts the juice…and much to her mother's annoyance she too like her brother and father seems somehow capable of consuming drink or food without anyone actually so much as glimpsing their faces. 

She shrugs in response to his last statement, "I don't care much for what they think about me…I am serious about becoming a great ninja…and I won't allow myself to get distracted so easily." 

*** *** *** 

Obito yawns while he sluggishly goes through his clothes for something to wear…he generally wears sleeveless shirts…just because they show off more of his tattoos. And today would be no exception. Although, since he is going to spend the day with Mieko he decides to make the extra effort and grabs a shirt that is actually ironed. 

"Sure hope the bathroom's free…" He mumbles around another yawn as he exits the room. 

*** *** *** 

The warm bath is doing wonders for her nerves , and something else as Mieko bites her lip and moans lightly, and arches her back a little for just the right angle… 'Just a little more…' 

*** *** *** 

"No distractions huh?" Yoichi raises his brow as he looks down at Ai. He can't help but be a little impressed. Very rarely has he ever met someone who seemed to have such dedication to anything. And certainly none of the girls or women he's ever been involved with possessed that quality. But then it hadn't really been a prerequisite before having sex with them either. "Well then, Ai-san." He nods to her politely gesturing toward the door. "Why don't we just get right to it then. The sooner I let you kick my a** the sooner we can have breakfast." 

Ai nods her head in agreement as she sets the empty glass down onto the counter. "If we run there…" She starts as she does a few stretches. "We can forgo the warm-up exercises and launch right into it…" She smiles slightly behind the mask. "I promise to slow down a little to make sure you keep up…" 

*** *** *** 

Obito could really do with some more sleep…he's about to raise his hand to the door to make sure no one's in there…when he hears it…he blinks a few times. 

"It couldn't be…must be more tired than I thought…" He mutters to himself…but then he hears it again…faint but he can hear it…he knows his sister's voice…and that isn't her…which means… 

"Hmmm…well, how about that…" He smirks behind his mask as he carefully presses his ear to the door… 

Continuing on with what she's doing, quickening her pace slightly then slowing it again…'So close…' she whines a little then as she begins daydreaming naughty dreams about… "Don't think about him…" Mieko scolds herself out loud, trying to think… whenever she fantasized it was always some faceless figure, no one ever appealed to her enough to imagine being with, and for the life of her she can't see what is so appealing about Obito. He is completely 'unrefined and crude…' she thinks. And those tattoos, she'd seen too much of those … and something else. "Darn you Obito…" She frowns and sighs as she gets even closer to what she wants to feel. 

*** *** *** 

"Keep up huh?" Yoichi smirks, as he stretches his arms over his head. "By all means, please…have a head start." 

Ai raises an eyebrow but decides to humor him. "If you insist…" She walks out the door and starts running…though admittedly not as fast she could have…she does want him to be able to keep up…after all how would she spar him if he couldn't find the training grounds. 

*** *** *** 

Obito blinks again…'Nah…it couldn't be…' He thinks to himself. 'Or could it…' He smirks…he could have sworn he heard his name being mentioned…and that only makes the whole thing hotter than it already is. He presses his ear against the door a little harder… 

So much for a relaxing bath. Normally Mieko would be quite content, even a bit lazy after having a little 'alone time'. But this time, thinking about Obito during had only managed to make her more frustrated. "If I have to be alone with him I'll go crazy…" She leans back in the bath, her nerves getting the better of her, as she slowly begins soaping herself up, taking a proper bath now. 'Hansuke.' She decides. Her younger brother despises shopping but, like it or not she's dragging him out with them. 

*** *** *** 

It doesn't take a moment for Yoichi to catch up with Ai, and he doesn't even seem to be trying. He passes her just for a moment before slowing down. "You don't have to run that slow you know. " He turns jogging backwards for a moment as he watches her closely, flashing a mischievous grin. "Or… is that the best you can do?" He turns and takes off then, not quite as fast as he could have but, then he doesn't want to show everything he can do right off the bat. 'Got to leave a little mystery.' He laughs to himself. Which is fair enough since what she has beneath that mask is plenty enough mystery for him at the moment 

Ai is surprised, she hadn't expected him to be that fast…and she mentally curses herself, 'Never underestimate your opponent' One of the golden rules…she picks up the pace, determined to wipe that smile off of his face… 'If not in the race I will have my way with him on the training grounds…' then she blushes as she realizes just how else that could be interpreted. 

Waiting patiently at the training grounds, Yoichi is stretching now and getting ready. From the little he knows of Ai, he's already come to the conclusion that the girl does not exaggerate. While he may have outrun her, which he had pretty much counted on since he was faster than anyone he'd ever encountered, either youkai or human. 'Well except for Goku-san…' he has to admit, but then Goku is in a class all his own, so that doesn't really count. Fighting on the other hand, while he is pretty damn good, he isn't really all that dedicated to training so his skills are a little lacking. Somehow he doubts this is the case with Ai. 

But he smiles when he sees her approach, giving her a little wink. "About time you got here." He stands up and pulls his shirt off, cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders a little to loosen up. "Remember. You promised to be gentle with me." 

*** *** *** 

Mieko steps from the bath, toweling off and pulling on her robe. Giving one quick look in the mirror as she combs out her damp hair. That lump on her forehead seems to have grown overnight, and it's becoming an ugly bruise. She frowns, wondering if she will be able to cover it after all. She plays a little with her bangs, fingering them in place. 'Oh well…maybe when my hair dries…' She shrugs and takes her nightie in hand before opening the door to head back to Ai's room and change. 

Obito had stepped away from the door in time and is now leaning against the wall, looking as though he had been doing so all the time, instead of listening in on the activity behind the closed door. 

"Morning…" He greets Mieko, feeling a lot more awake than he had before. "Looking forward to our little outing today? 

*** *** *** 

Ai can't help but stare a little…alright, she hadn't expected him to take the shirt off…she had seen her fair share of shirtless men…and Yoichi does have some rather nice muscle tone…she clears her throat as she forces herself to look away while she undoes the strap to her weapon's pouch, carefully laying it aside. 

"Actually…I said I'd 'try'…" She straightens and focuses on his eyes. "Like I said…I will use taijutsu only…think fast." And with that she launches her first attack. 

'Yup… she's quick…' Yoichi thinks to himself admiringly. He hadn't expected any less as he barely manages to dodge. "Not bad…" He smiles as he counters with his own attack which as expected she effortlessly blocked. 'This is going to be interesting…' He thinks. His hanyou twin cousins can kick the crap out of him sure…but other than Maemi-chan he hasn't ever lost to a full-blooded human, yet somehow he has a feeling this isn't even going to be close. 'Remember Yoichi…' He smirks as he thinks to himself. 'If you go down you do it looking damn good.' 

*** *** *** 

Mieko jumps, startled as she hadn't expected to see Obito there, and she clutches the ends of her robe tightly at her chest. Somehow it seemed much too early for him to be awake. "You really have to stop scaring me." She frowns and whacks him with the nightie she is holding in her other hand. 

Obito chuckles and eyes the nightie with mild interest. "I thought you'd be more used to it now…" 

*** *** *** 

Ai smiles…Yoichi isn't bad as far as non-ninja fighters go…but she's better…and she gets the feeling that he knows it too…still…she's holding back…she wants to see the full extent of his abilities before she crushes him. She loves the rush of adrenaline, the sheer thrill of it coursing through her while she fights…Just letting her body do the thinking. 

She finds herself giving Yoichi more openings…more chances to strike, only to dodge them at the last possible moment…she takes some delight in testing just how far she could go before actually getting hit…her father would reprimand her for teasing her opponent so much…whether or not Yoichi realizes that she's toying with him is far from her mind as all thoughts are focused solely on the thrill of the sparring match. 

*** *** *** 

"I don't think anyone could get used to it." She wrinkles her nose at Obito as she passes by him to bang on his bedroom door. "Hansuke! Get up already. You're coming shopping with me and Obito-san." 

"Wha…?" There's a faint mumble from inside the room. 

"You heard me! You're coming shopping so up! Now!" 

"I dun wanna…' He mumbles more and the sound is so muffled she knows he has covered his head with a pillow. 

"Oh, yes you do. Or I'm going to show mother where you have all those…educational books stashed in your room." 

Inside the room Hansuke bolts upright in the bed. "You wouldn't…" 

"Oh, I so would." 

Hansuke is dumbfounded. His sister has never threatened to do anything like that before. Ever. 'What the heck is up with her…?' He grumbles and gets out of bed looking for some clothes to change into. "Whatever…" He mutters. 

*** *** *** 

Ai thinks she's seen enough and decides to finish this…moving quickly, she feigns an attack to get Yoichi right where she wants him…the ensuing quick combination of maneuvers resulting in the young man being flipped onto his back, with a triumphant and smug looking Ai straddling his waist…she has a hand pressed to his chest to keep him down. She pants slightly from the effort…yes, she had beaten him but at the very least he'd given her a good work out. 

"Not bad at all Ai-san. I'm most impressed." Yoichi smiles, taking in deep slow breaths. It had been a long time since he'd been that worn out. At least from this sort of work out. But he can't help smirking as he notices the position she has him in and he cocks a brow as he looks up at her. "I certainly hope your father isn't lurking around anyplace. I doubt he would appreciate seeing you in this particular …position with me." 

*** *** *** 

Hansuke is grumbling as he trudges along behind Mieko and Obito. 'This is a real drag…' 

Mieko is double checking the list she had made for dinner as she lets Obito lead the way to the market. She chews on her lip a minute, wondering… "Obito-san? Is there anything particular your family likes for dessert?" She'd realized she had just decided completely on her own what to make for the dinner and perhaps not everyone would like what she did. And as a guest in their home she certainly doesn't want to give off the impression that she is either selfish or spoiled by just doing as she pleases. 

Obito tilts his head thoughtfully. "I don't think there is…well, my parents seem to have a liking for ice cream…but they tend to save it for when we're not around…" Obito shudders…it is more like he and Ai make themselves scarce when that happens…Ai does it because she thinks her parents deserve the privacy while he, Obito, just doesn't want to be around for when it happens. "We're not really picky if that's what you want to know…" He smiles a little, "And judging from last night…I'd say you're a pretty decent cook so you've got nothing to worry about." And as casually as he can…he snakes his arm around to drape over Mieko's shoulder. 

*** *** *** 

Ai's eyes widen fractionally…she stares briefly at the hand still planted firmly on Yoichi's chest. Fighting the impulse to jump up and put as much distance between the two of them as possible…she makes herself rise calmly and step aside, even offering Yoichi her hand…but refuses to allow herself to look at him…her face feels like it's on fire…and she hopes that he'll just attribute it to the work out they had just had… 

Yoichi takes her hand letting her help him up and he brushes off the dirt from his pants. "So was that as good for you as it was for me?" He smiles, stretching and cracking his neck. He feels quite invigorated after such a hard workout. "That's the best workout I've had in ages." 

*** *** *** 

Mieko's heart beats a little faster as she feels his arm around her shoulders, but she takes in a deep breath and shakes off that feeling. He's just being friendly she rationalizes and then a thought comes to her and she brightens up. "Ooooh, your parents like ice cream? Some vanilla ice cream… that would be lovely with the warm fritters and syrup. Don't you think?" She looks up at Obito her eyes sparkling. 

Obito smiles a little triumphantly when Mieko lets his arm stay where it is… 

"Whatever you decide is fine by me…" He chuckles at how she could look so cute when she talked about food…vaguely recalling the teahouse incident…it's like he's speaking to an entirely different person…there is something refreshing in her unpredictability… 

*** *** *** 

"It was alright." Ai shrugs truthfully…her sessions with Midori are a lot more intense. "If you like…" She pauses as she goes to retrieve her weapon's pouch and strap it back onto her leg. "I can show you a place where we can eat…" 

'Alright huh? Oh well horizontal workouts are more my style anyway.' He smirks to himself. 

Then Yoichi raises a brow. "Well… how about we go back and shower first, then you can show me?" He grabs up his shirt and pulls it over his head. "I'd rather not offend anyone's senses by walking around in a sweat." He turns his head and takes a whiff of his underarm, frowning slightly. "And frankly I'm offending myself. And truth be told you aren't exactly smelling like a bed of roses yourself at the moment." He grins, playfully tugging at a strand of her hair as he walks past her back in the direction of the house. 

*** *** *** 

"Okay then…we'll save the ice cream for last…I suppose we may as well get the bananas first…" She glances around the unfamiliar market. 

Obito may not go out to shop often…but he knows where to find things when he needs them. "Over there…" And keeping his arm in place, leads Mieko to one of the fruit stands. 

Somewhere not too far off, a certain young woman dressed all in green is at one of the stalls scrutinizing a green weapon's pouch. 

"Don't you have it in a more youthful shade?" She asks, indicating the color of the rest of her attire. 

The stall-keeper sighs and goes to rummage through some of the boxes in the back. 

*** *** *** 

Ai follows Yoichi quietly. She hadn't gotten along with a guy this well since her own two team-mates…but she rarely got to see them anymore…one of them had remained a Chuunin deciding he preferred teaching at the academy…while the other had gone a step further and become a member of the Anbu…Her father had been a member of the Anbu once upon a time…and from what he had told her it doesn't seem like her style…She is once again deep in thought. 

Yoichi slows up his pace a little, falling back to Ai's side, giving her nose a slight tweak through her mask. "So serious…" He smiles. "Something on your mind?" 

*** *** *** 

Hansuke is bored silly as he leans back against one of the market stalls watching as Mieko does her grocery shopping with Obito by her side. 'Those two look so weird together…' Hansuke frowns. He's neither blind nor stupid, because he's never seen Mieko let a guy touch her before, not without some sort of minor bodily injury. He wonders how it went from her hitting him over the head with a sausage…to now letting him put his arm around her. 

As he's thinking her hears a pleasant sweet voice from not to far away and he glances over. A young dark haired woman dressed in green standing there, very animatedly speaking with a vendor. 'She sure is cute….' He smiles brightly, glancing from Mieko to the girl, deciding 'heck with it… she can tell mom whatever she wants.' And he walks himself over to the dark haired girl nervously, trying to think of what to say… 

*** *** *** 

"Hmmm…" Mieko wrinkles her nose slightly. "These are no good…" She takes up one of the bananas and inspects it a little closer. "These are too ripe, I can't do it if they're soft. It won't be any good." She frowns as she looks up at Obito hopefully. "Is there someplace else we can try where they might be firmer?" 

"Oh, so you like them firm…" Obito remarks with a smirk. "Anything else you like firm or just the bananas?" 

*** *** *** 

Ai blinks at him…had it been anyone else she probably would have broken his hand by now…"It's nothing…" She responds shaking her head slightly. "I was just thinking…" 

"Gotcha… None of my business right?" He smiles understandingly. "Oh well… How about I race you to the shower then." He winks and takes off, she may have beaten his a** just now but, she isn't going to beat him to the shower. Well… at least not fairly… he is gentleman enough to let her win in the end. He certainly can't begrudge a lady the chance to shower first. 

*** *** *** 

Mieko's face turns almost as crimson as the streaks in her hair and she nervously takes his wrist and ducks out from beneath his arm. "I wouldn't know." She resists the urge to hit him as she looks around for Hansuke…but he's no where to be found. 'He would bail on me now…'she sighs as she starts to walk off in search of another vendor. 

Obito follows closely behind her chuckling at her reaction…he had the urge to say something more about what he'd overheard that morning but decides to save that for another time…he doesn't want to upset her too much all at once. He trails behind her allowing her to wander and discover another fruit stand herself. 

"Obito-kun!" A voice calls from behind him soon joined by two more…and he sighs…the 'presidents' of his 'fan club'. Within moments they're ringed around him expectantly. 

*** *** *** 

"What about this?" The man tries to convince Midori to purchase the item but the girl shakes her head. "It's too dark…I said I needed a more youthful shade." 

He sighs and draws yet another weapon's pouch from the box…he honestly could not see the difference…green is green. "This one? 

"No." 

"How about this one?" 

"Too murky…" 

"This?" 

"Too bright." 

"This is definitely it." 

"That's really more of a blue than a green…" 

The vendor is just about ready to give up. 

*** *** *** 

Ai made her shower quick…she didn't want to keep Yoichi waiting…she knows he let her win on purpose…She sighs as she looks through her clothes…maybe just this once…she could get away with something a little more casual than her standard ninja attire…she'd keep her weapon's pouch and mask on though. 

Yoichi is waiting outside the bathroom door, and he gives Ai an approving look, as he notes her change of clothes, as she exits. " You look quite nice Ai-san. " He grins as he passes her to enter the bathroom. "But I warn you I am on a mission…before this visit is over, I'll get you out in a dress again." He winks at her. 

*** *** *** 

"I think that one is nice…" Hansuke points at one of the pouches, this one in a vibrant shade of shade green in a midtone, and he recognizes the color right away as he'd been sent on several errands to pick up 'just the right shade' of embroidery threads for his mother. " Spring green… It even sounds youthful don't you think?" He smiles at the girl. 

"And the harem arrives…to steal away my escort." Mieko crosses her arms and steps up to him. Annoyed as she is with him, she's lost in this market without him. She takes him by the arm and steers him away as she gives the girls a glare. "Step off …." She looks them up and down head to toe. "…ladies…and I do use the term loosely, before I rip out your eyes and feed them to you." The crimson fleck in her eyes almost seem to flicker as she stares them down. 

Obito raises his eyebrows…this is a surprise…and he can't help but chuckle at the look of disbelief and indignation on the girls' faces. Mieko is certainly being a lot feistier than he thought she was capable of… 

"J-Just who do you think you are!" One of them huffs. 

Midori smiles back at the boy and takes the pouch. "Yes…you are quite right! It's the exact youthful shade I was looking for!" She exclaims while the vendor sighs in relief. It looks like she'd be making a purchase after all. 

"Thank you very much for your help." Midori says politely to the boy. 

*** *** *** 

Ai gives Yoichi the flattest look she's ever given anyone. "…I wouldn't count on it." 

Yoichi throws his head back and laughs. "Well…we'll see what happens won't we? I've been wrong before… rarely." He shrugs matter-of-factly. "But it's been known to happen." With that he closes the door and turns on the shower. He chuckles thinking to himself. 'Damn… what a challenge this is going to be. How the hell am I going to get her into a dress again?' 

*** *** *** 

"Sure…" Hansuke blushes a little and shrugs. "No big deal." He glances at her. "I don't suppose that…maybe I could buy you a drink." He flushes then as he realizes what he said. "I mean like a regular drink. Not alcohol or anything like that. A soda or tea or something…" 

*** *** *** 

"I'm the girl that's going to lay you out flat on your rear ends if you don't back the heck off!" Mieko let's go of Obito's arm for a moment, her fists clenched at her sides as she steps up to the first girl who had called out his name and even though she is a few inches shorter than this girl, she stares her down, her eyes blazing. Mieko hates fighting, she always has but Obito seems to frustrate her enough that she wouldn't mind taking some of it out on these girls. "And if you don't believe me…by all means…test me." 

Again the looks the girls are giving Mieko makes Obito smile…he'd seen catfights happen on his account on one or two occasions…but he gets the feeling that he better put a stop to it… 

"Sorry ladies…" He remarks, sliding his arm around Mieko's waist. "But as you can see…I'm spoken for today…" 

"But Obito-kun…" The ring leader whines. 

"You heard her." He chuckles. "And believe me she means business." Obito winks at Mieko…he really is enjoying himself…who knew that going out shopping could be so entertaining. 

"So, Mieko-chan…what say we go look for those firm bananas you wanted…" 

*** *** *** 

Midori smiles…"Oh, you're so cute!" She gushes. "But I can't let you by me a drink…" She pauses thoughtfully. "But because you helped me find a weapon's pouch you can come watch me train with my sensei and we can all go out for tea and dango together afterwards!" She exclaims cheerfully. "I am Maito Midori." She introduces herself to the boy. 

*** *** *** 

Ai brought Yoichi to one of her particular favorite spots…a little teahouse located closely to the lake her father used to take both her and Obito to when they were children…there used to be an onsen nearby as well but it had closed down years ago. She has many fond memories tied to the place... 

"This is quite nice Ai-san…" Yoichi looks around , the view is beautiful. So serene and tranquil, almost… dare he think it… romantic. It was not at all what he had expected Ai to bring him too. He smiles as he notices the look on her face as she glances over the menu. So sweet, and thoughtful. Quite a difference from the serious look she had earlier. "So what do like from here? I'm going to trust you to order my breakfast for me." He smiles closing the menu and placing it in front of him. 

*** *** *** 

"Umm…" He bows politely to her. "Sha Hansuke. And I would very much like to join you…." 'I think' he smiles brightly at her. Somehow this wasn't going the way he had planned but, 'Gosh she's so cute…' How could he possibly have refused? 

*** *** *** 

"You can just forget about the banana fritters…I'm making lemon custards instead." She wasn't daring to give him any more chance to tease her about firm bananas. Mieko grumbles and she gives Obito a little glare. "You should have let me beat them to the ground…" She huffs. It would have helped release all that frustration she was holding in. "I've never wanted to hit anyone so badly as I do right now." She gives him a light punch in his side, not even concerned about his arm around her waist at the moment. 

"Why…I didn't think you cared, Mieko-chan…" Obito remarks. "I'm touched." He is only partially joking…right now he finds Mieko more appealing than even the 'walking in on him' incident. 

*** *** *** 

"Yosh!" Midori pumps her fist into the air. "Then let us revel in our springtime of youth! To the training grounds!" And with that she breaks off into an almost frenzied run. 

*** *** *** 

Ai blinks at him, "Are you sure you want to entrust me with that decision?" She remarks. "You may well end up with something not to your liking at all…" 

An elderly woman approaches them, "So what can I get you lovebirds?" She asks in her kindly voice. 

Ai stiffens and her face flares a bright red, "Ah, you misunderstand…" She starts not liking how timid her voice sounds right now. "We're not a couple." 

"Oh, so it's the first date…" The old woman nods in understanding and peers at Ai a little more closely. "Huh…you remind me of someone…there used to be a masked fellow who liked coming by here years ago…brought his family along too…" 

Yoichi is amused, it's amazing to him how something so simple as an elderly woman's misinterpretation of their meal as being 'a date' and thinking they are 'lovebirds' could get the poor girl so flustered. But what's more amusing as that while even at just the mention of the 'masked fellow, bring Kakashi immediately to mind, this elderly woman doesn't make the connection with what must so obviously be his daughter. 'Really… how many people in this village wear masks but that family.' Yoichi smirks to himself. 

Ai still looks a little uncomfortable and he looks to the older woman. He's not entirely sure if Ai wants to be recognized or not…"All I know ma'am is this is the first time I've been here. And I sure could go for a steaming hot tea while we decide what to order. If you please." He turns to Ai. " Unless of course you've already decided Ai-san." He gives her a little wink. "And of course I trust you completely to choose something for me. I assure you there is very little I don't like." 

*** *** *** 

"H-h-how c-can s-he run so fast?" Hansuke stops a moment leaning forward his hand on his shaky legs as he tries to catch his breath. Then he glances back up staring after her. She's almost out of sight and he can't help but grin. 'The human girls here sure aren't like the ones back home…must be something in the water.' And after taking in a few more deep breaths he stands up straight and takes off after her. 

*** *** *** 

"Could you be more frustrating? You're the one who offered to come shopping with me remember? And like it or not I'm completely lost here without you to show me around." She hisses, as she looks up at him, giving him another punch in the side this time a little harder. "How can you stand those…?" She glances back over her shoulder, staring at the girls in disgust. Those are girls still staring after them, obviously annoyed and disappointed. "…vultures…they have no shame." She stops at a stand for a moment and looks over a few lemons, frowning to herself. 'And I am so not in the mood for lemon custard…' Letting out a deep sigh she looks up at him, feeling very disappointed herself. "Do you think you could lay off the … innuendo about the bananas until I get what I need at least? I've had my heart set on making fritters tonight." 

Obito chuckles, "I'll save that for later tonight then…" He winks at her before he briefly glances back to the girls…they really were still staring at them. "I'm surprised that they bother you so much…unless…" He trails off and smirks at her behind his mask and chuckles. He hadn't been too sure about it and while this morning's events had pretty much confirmed his suspicions…the fact that Mieko had been 'jealous' just now makes it downright obvious. 

'Obito…you are good…' He thinks proudly to himself. 

*** *** *** 

Midori does slow down a few times, even resorting to running on the spot until the boy, Hansuke, catches up before at long last they reach the training grounds. 

"You may need to spend a little more time training if you wish to improve." She advises him briefly… 

"Midori! I have been waiting here for a while! I've already had time to do 500 push ups and 350 squats!" A voice exclaims from nearby. 

"My apologies Lee-sensei!" Midori responds just as enthusiastically. "I will make up for it by doing first 1000 sit ups. Followed by 1000 kicks!" 

Lee comes into full view, still sporting the same haircut and attire as he had in his youth. 

He nods in approval, "This is why you are my most precious student, Midori! You understand what it is to be youthful just like Gai-sensei your father!" 

"Lee-sensei!" 

"Midori!" 

*** *** *** 

Ai had placed their orders and returns to gaze at the lake…her father had taught both of them how to swim here…and some water-based jutsu…for which he was then yelled at by her mother when she and Obito had gotten carried away and caused a bit of a tidal wave…Good memories. She sighs for a moment before she realizes that she did in fact bring Yoichi here and as her guest she could not just sit there and reminisce about the good old days whilst ignoring him. But what could she possibly talk about…she isn't too sure if talking about ninja weaponry or the various jutsu would really interest him…Maybe if he does more of the talking and she just listens… 

"So…what's...your home like?" She asks the first thing that comes to mind. 

"I don't know. Pretty much like yours I guess. " He rests his chin in his hand, looking at her thoughtfully. "The town we live in is at the base of Lord Kougaji's castle. At the bottom of the mountain. It's really pretty peaceful, serene like this view here…" He nods to the window. "My aunt and uncle live in the town on the opposite side, so we go there a lot. My two older cousins are captains of the royal guard there. If you wanted a real workout …they would be the ones to give it to you. They tried to convince me to join up but… I'm just not into the whole training thing like they are. Those two are naturals." He chuckles remembering the last time they had tried to teach him a move or two and he had ended up not able to get out of bed for a week straight. "There are plenty of festivals all year long. Right before we came here to visit there was one that went straight for two weeks. That's the best. All Dad's old friends come to stay then, they must go nuts with all the kids running around. There's parades, dances… but I bet you would have liked the fireworks best. They set them off right over the castle. Koemi-chan is always awestruck by them." He looks up then when the tea is brought over, and he shakes his head laughing. "Sorry I was babbling on and on. What about you? Is there anything you like other than training?" 

*** *** *** 

Hansuke only stares, still gulping for air as he takes note of the two men. 'So much…green.' He glances over at Midori and something more than amazed. 'How can she not even have broken a sweat…?' 

He holds up his hand a moment…'D-d-did you say 1000 sit-ups?' He had intended to join her in training, show off a little what he could do but…he was sure he misheard. 

*** *** *** 

"What do you mean save it for tonight?" Mieko looks at him a little startled, but the startled look turns quickly to a frown. "I'm sure I'll be asleep long before you get home so I'm afraid you won't have the time to torment me tonight." 

"Hmmm…" Obito muses. "You really think so?...Well, we'll resume this conversation at some other point…let's go look for your bananas." 

Sure, shopping had turned out to be a more fun than he expected…but it's still shopping and it's still something he'd just rather get over with. 

*** *** *** 

"Of course." Midori nods. "It's a good warm-up before we start training." She then notes how worn out he looks from just the run. "You just sit back and watch." She smiles. "I won't forget about the tea later." And with that having been said she commences the 'warm-up'. 

*** *** *** 

"Oh, it's alright. I liked learning a little more about your town…" Ai shrugs before she thinks as to how to answer his question. _Does_ she like anything besides training? 

She blinks a few times most if not all the things she does are somehow training-related…when she browses through the shops it's looking for new gear or weaponry…when reading, it's usually about jutsu or something similar…it has never occurred to her just how…one-tracked her life is…that is until this moment. 

"I…it's just been something I've been doing for so long…" She finally responds truthfully. "I chose to dedicate myself to my goal…and everything I've done has just been focused on attaining that goal…if I'm not out on a mission…I usually train…it's just something I've grown used to doing…" She pauses. "You must think of me as a very boring person…" 

Yoichi laughs at that. "Boring? No Ai-san. You are certainly not boring, although I would say it certainly wouldn't hurt to expand your horizons and … find something else to interest you as well. Dedication is a good thing but…it's also important to have other things you enjoy." He takes a sip of his tea, looking very thoughtful. "Sometimes a little distraction can give you a whole fresh perspective on life and how you view those goals you have. And that can't be a bad thing. " 

*** *** *** 

"No...no…" Hansuke insists as he begins stretching lightly, taking in even deeper breaths and steadying himself. "A little warm-up won't kill me. Though…" He smiles at her his eyes bright as he chuckles. "I make no claim to be able to do a 1000 of anything… but I'll do my darndest." He then gets down on the ground putting his mind to do as many sit-ups as he can and hoping he doesn't look too pathetic. 

*** *** *** 

"Finally…that's the last of it." Mieko smiles as she places the lemons in her basket along with the bananas. Somewhere in all the shopping she had decided she was in the mood for the lemon custard as well and decided to make both for dessert tonight. 

"So we're done here?" Obito asks as he carries the basket this time around. He sincerely hopes that she doesn't have the intention of buying even more. How much could she possibly want to eat? 

*** *** *** 

"That's the spirit!" Midori chirps while doing her sit ups at a frenzied pace. 

Her sensei nods in approval, "Your young friend has a good youthful outlook!" 

*** *** *** 

"A little distraction…" Ai repeats and looks back out to the lake. At first she had thought Yoichi and her brother would be a lot alike…but she's reconsidered that thought since then…Yoichi is nothing like Obito…and in a sense…she is glad for it. He makes pleasant conversation and she can't help but contemplate his words… 

"Okay…so maybe I didn't mean to get distracted now…" He waves his hand lightly in front of her face. "Is there something on your mind?" He asks gently. "You don't really seem like you are in the mood for conversation. So feel free to tell me to shut up if you want." He smiles at her. 

*** *** *** 

"W-w-where does all your energy come from?" Hansuke lays back on the ground, gasping for air as Midori looks down at him. She'd long since done her 1000 sit-ups and he had just barely managed to make it past 500 now. "Need to bottle up that stuff and sell it." He chuckles in between deep breaths. "And how can you still look so cute?" He stares up at her in disbelief, she still looks fresh, every hair is still in place and though her cheeks have a light hint of pink in them, he decides that's more to do with her enthusiasm than anything. Then he realizes what he'd said and a blush creeps up to his cheeks. 

*** *** *** 

Mieko takes a peek in the basket as she hooks her arm through Obito's and they make their way out of the market. "Well… I think I got everything. Unless of course there's something else you want…" She flushes as she realizes that was just asking for a comment. "…to eat I mean…" She adds… then she flushes even deeper, taking in a deep slow breath to keep her composure as her mind begins to wander where it shouldn't. "What I mean is…is there anything else you might like me to cook for you?" 

"Meh, I'm not picky." He shrugs. Taking note of the fact that she had willingly initiated physical contact between them…she had certainly come a long way from hitting him over the head with a sausage. "But thanks for the offer…" He continues. "You know…tomorrow…I could show you a few of the places I like going to…not my pick-up spots." He quickly adds. 

*** *** *** 

Midori blinks at him and smiles, "I think you look cute too!" And she ruffles his hair good-naturedly. 

"Midori! Do your stretches, then we start training!" Lee proclaims. 

"Hai, Lee-sensei!" Midori responds with that same smile and enthusiasm as she proceeds to do her stretches. 

"Yosh! Now prepare yourself Midori, I will not hold back!" 

"I am ready Lee-sensei!" 

"So youthful!" 

And they begin… 

*** *** *** 

"Oh, I'm sorry…" Ai flushes slightly. "I didn't mean to…it's just…maybe I think too much…" She looks down at her hands. "To be honest…I haven't had the opportunity to sit down with…a guy, like this since I became a Jounin…my two team-mates chose to pursue a path that is different to mine…so I don't see them very often." She pauses though she does not look up from her hands. "And I'm not particularly good at normal conversation I suppose…but maybe…" She pauses again and continues a little hesitantly. "Once we're done eating here…we can go out to the lake?" 

"That would be nice." Yoichi smiles at her taking one of her hands and giving it a quick affectionate squeeze before pulling it quickly away before she can react. He's pretty sure she doesn't like to have much physical contact beyond what she does in training. But whether she thought so or not she looked like she needed that. He would go so far as to say she could probably have used a hug right then but…he wasn’t entirely stupid. He wasn't too sure he would get away with that. "So you used to come here with your family then?" 

*** *** *** 

Hansuke sits and watches Midori with her sensei. He'd never seen anything like it in his life. 'They think this is fun…' He's awestruck as he watches them. The whole scene making him exhausted just looking at it. 'That girl is amazing…' Suddenly all thoughts of Hakkai's daughter…'what was her name…?' They are all gone in an instant. 

*** *** *** 

Mieko's heart flutters slightly at the offer, she thinks hard about it for a moment. If she had any sense she would make some excuse as to why it wouldn't be a good idea. Honestly though, he had his moments when he could be very charming, when he wasn't frustrating her to no end… "Are you sure you could stand to deal with me for a whole day again? I'm pretty sure I'm not nearly as … entertaining as the girls you are used to." She wrinkles her nose as she glances over her shoulder, a bit relieved to see that the 'fan-club' had finally disappeared. 

Obito chuckles, 'If only she knew…' He had gotten plenty entertainment just by watching her eat…and listen in on her that morning…not that he's about to tell her…yet. "I've stuck around with you for today, haven't I? I think I can handle you...and…" He adds with a smirk. "You're a whole lot more entertaining than you think…" 

*** *** *** 

Midori and her sensei continue at their fevered pace. Whenever one of them lands a hit they are quick to shrug it off…Lee is quite proud whenever one of his student's kicks or punches connects and even laughs it off when she gets him right in the face resulting in a nosebleed. 

*** *** *** 

He'd touched her hand again…yet, she does not feel the need to punish him for the act the way she usually did when a man even dared poke her. "Yes." She nods. "When my brother and I were still children…my father taught us some of our first jutsu right here…there also used to be an onsen nearby that he liked to spend some time at with my mother...but as we got older…Obito found he had better things to do…the onsen closed down…then it was just me and my father for a while…and eventually even the two of us stopped coming here…" She pauses. "But I do stop by here from time to time…before a difficult mission…or whenever I just need to clear my head…" 

"I would never have guessed it…" He shakes his head slowly, smiling as the waitress finally comes with their meal. She's a young woman, quite pretty with long curly brown hair, under normal circumstances he would have made some sort of comment to her but at the moment he just isn't interested. "Thank you Miss." He nods as she places the plate in front of him and he looks down at it starting to carve out his first bite, then he smiles at Ai. "…but you're a very sentimental young woman aren't you? I think that's sweet." 

*** *** *** 

Hansuke cringes as he watches. 'How can he smile at a nosebleed…? And laugh…?' The whole scene is utterly surreal. He'd only ever sparred with his brother and father now and then. And he didn't even really like to do that. Gojyo had been pretty bummed about the fact that neither of his sons had acquired his appreciation for a good brawl now and then, though at least Yoichi humored him now and again by actually putting forth some effort. 

All Hansuke can do is sit and stare at them. 'This is a little creepy…' He begins to think to himself. 

*** *** *** 

"I'm not sure why you think that…" Mieko shakes her head in disbelief, she certainly thinks she is very dull. As they are walking like this she suddenly becomes very conscious of the fact she has her arm entwined with his and she pulls it away carefully, trying not to make it seem like a big deal. "You know I don't think I ever said I was sorry for that stunt I pulled the other day…" She thinks back to the teahouse incident. "I mean I know I said it while you were fighting with Ai but… I said that more to get you both to stop than actually meaning it. But I really am sorry." She looks up at him seriously. "I had no business ruining your day like that." Nervously she pulls her hair back from her face twisting it over her shoulder and curling a strand with her fingers as she looks in front of her then. "And I do appreciate you coming to help me today. I would have been lost in the market without you." Her cheeks are feeling warmer as she speaks and she doesn't dare look at him. Even if it hadn't been for the shopping she would have been glad for his company. 

Obito chuckles again and places his arm around her waist once more, making her walk closer to him. There is something very endearing about this girl…her moods, her manner...definitely not the kind of woman he's used to spending his time with…heck, half the time there wasn't even any verbal communication…nor did he elect to spend more time with a woman than was necessary…once they'd both gotten what they wanted…he'd move on…which could range from a couple hours to half a day…the fact that he's spent this day with Mieko and suggested to spend the next day together again is a minor miracle in itself. 

"Don't sweat it." He responds. "I admit it was more fun than I thought it would be…" He pauses briefly. "And for the record…Ai and I have gotten into worse fights over pettier things…so don't worry if it happens again…besides." Obito smirks. "I'm guessing that tea house girl probably wasn't worth my time anyway…" 

*** *** *** 

After one particularly awe-inspiring maneuver on both Midori and Lee's part…they both decide to call it a day. 

"My apologies that we could not train longer today Midori." Lee tells his student sincerely. 

"Do not apologize sensei, I should have come here earlier!" Midori responds horrified by the fact that her sensei would pin the blame on himself for not being able to train longer. 

"Yosh! We shall both make up for it then!" Lee proclaims. 

"200 laps around Konoha at dawn!" Midori exclaims enthusiastically. 

"This is why you are my most favorite student!" The man declares with tears of joy streaming down his face in rivers. 

"Lee-sensei!" 

"Midori!" 

Once they've had their student teacher moment Midori finally notices Hansuke staring at them and she remembers their agreement. 

"Ah, Lee-sensei. Hansuke-san helped me out earlier today so I was going to let him come have some tea and dango with us after training." Midori explains. "You still want to go right, Hansuke-san?" She gives the boy her same enthusiastic smile. 

*** *** *** 

'Sweet…' So many people had used that word to describe her…her parents…her sensei…even her team-mates…and it had always irritated her. She wants to become a great kunoichi…fierce and respected by all…somehow she didn't think that that would have been possible if her reputation revolved around her being sweet…Yet…Ai doesn't seem to mind it so much when Yoichi uses that word to describe her… 

"A ninja with only painful memories will be quick to succumb to despair when faced with trying times…I guess my father wanted to make sure that didn't happen…" She smiles and looks back to the lake. "So I have many happy memories…" 

"Well…then your father is a smart man." Yoichi says very simply. From what he'd seen in the way her parents interacted, as different as they are from his …the general vibes he got are very much the same. They are every bit as in love as his parents are. They are cheerful, pleasant, very affectionate to the degree that he knows Ai is made uncomfortable by it at times. And they are loud…well at least Hana is loud. "You know Obito told me how much you want to be a great ninja like your father…" He looks at her very thoughtfully, a small smirk forming on his face which he tries to hold back but can't. "And while I'm sure you don't share his tastes in everything…He does seem to have other interests besides simply training." And Yoichi is quite sure he has some clue what Kakashi's other interests might include from watching how he teases his wife. Yoichi shakes off that idea, not wanting to ruin the point he is making. "So there's no reason you shouldn't have another interest of your own. I'm sure there must be something else you would enjoy, if you'd like how about we spend the day together tomorrow again, and we'll see if we can figure something out?" He offers. 

*** *** *** 

'200 laps….' Hansuke is in a daze. Maybe Yoichi could do that… but he doesn't think he could. Should he get up at dawn too and try and join them… He stares down at his own legs which are shaking just thinking about it. 

And the tears…he'd never seen a grown man cry before…and even if he had he doubted it would be under these sort of circumstances… 'this is really getting scary…' then he looks up at Midori who is looking down at him with that perky smile of her. '…but she's soooo cute.' He brightens up. 

"Sure tea and dango sound gr-reat!" He jumps up and brushes off his pants. 'Whatever the heck dango is…' he thinks to himself. 

*** *** *** 

"Well…even if you are just humoring me. That's sweet of you to say." She laughs brightening up a little, and then she squeals breaking off from him and rushing over to one of the stalls on the edge of the market. "Oh my gosh…how cuuuuute." The stand is filled with all sorts of plush animals and little trinkets emblazoned with the same characters. The main one being a little white kitty cat in the most adorable of dresses. But the one she picks up, a plush white… what she thinks to be a bunny if it didn't have such a long tail. Its head and ears are huge with a tiny body and even tinier hands and feet. "Oh my gosh Koemi would love this." 

The woman behind the stand smiles at her, her enthusiasm catching. "It's a new line. I just got it in recently. That little puppy there is named Cinnamoroll." 

"Cinnamoroll?…Cinna…MO…roll?" Mieko squeals again, more than a little surprised to find out it's actually a puppy, as she still thinks it looks like a bunny and she plays a little with its ears, giggling. "Oh that is just too sweet. She'd make the perfect pet for Momo. I'll tell her it's a bunny with a long tail. Or a puppy bunny mix…ooooh I'll call it a punny," Obito has come up behind her and Mieko turns and thrusts the animal into his face. "Isn't it just toooo adorable…tell me Koemi wouldn't love that." Her voice is squeaking she's so excited. 

Obito finds the entire scene very amusing…the girl is starting to get to be as unpredictable as his own mother…'Now, there's a scary thought…' 

"Hey, if you like it…I'm sure your sister will too." He doesn't exactly have much of an eye for this kind of thing…all plush animals look the same to him...and why some of the strange hybrid creatures need even stranger names is beyond him…but he has long concluded that it must be a 'girl thing'. 

"Anything you might want for yourself?" He chuckles. 

*** *** *** 

"Do you like the dango?" Midori asks Hansuke while she bites one off of the skewer she's holding. "Everyone says that Konoha's are the best! We've got other specialties of course but the dango are the most popular…" She explains sipping at her tea. "There's nothing like some tea and Konoha dango after an invigorating training session, right Lee-sensei?" She turns to smile at the man who is likewise sipping at his tea. 

He nods in agreement, "This too is a part of training…rest is important to maintain the balance." 

Midori nods vigorously, "Of course, Lee-sensei!" 

*** *** *** 

Ai admits to herself that it is very kind of Yoichi to offer…however, she does not want him to feel obligated in any way. After all…what enjoyment could he possibly get by helping her find a 'hobby'…'He's just being nice…' She thinks. 

"I appreciate the offer…but…I can't imagine it being terribly interesting and I'm sure that there'd be so much more you'd rather do than spend another day with me…I know you're just being nice…and I don't want you to feel like you have to spend time with me…even though you might not want to…" Ai tells him seriously. 

Yoichi grins then as he stares at his empty plate and waves over the waitress to order something else. He hadn't realized how hungry he was and that little training session with her had worked up an appetite. "Ai-chan…trust me on this. I never do anything I don't want to… well …"He rubs his head lightly. "Unless Dad whacks me a good one and says so. But I don't exactly see him anywhere behind me do you?" Yoichi looks around the room, an amused smile on his face as he turns back to Ai. "And frankly…" He takes a sip of his tea. "I'm too damn selfish to want to spend time with someone whose company I don't honestly enjoy. I'm not 'that' nice." He gives her another little wink. 

*** *** *** 

"These dango are awesome… I especially love these An-dango…" Hansuke is thoroughly enjoying himself now. This was more his speed. Sitting down and not moving too much. And eating… eating he could handle. 

He watches closely Midori and her sensei Lee. This is the weirdest relationship he has ever seen between a teacher and his student. 'But gosh… she sure is cute anyway…' He rests his chin in his hand and stares at her. 'I wonder if she goes for younger guys….' 

*** *** *** 

Mieko is smiling as she pays for the little plush 'punny' as she had so called it. She glances over the things at the table and smiles. "It's all adorable, I mean seriously… a kitty cat in a dress… who would have thought…?' She giggles then shakes her head slowly. "But… I'm afraid I'm too old for toys now…" She tucks her arm through his once more as she turns from the stand. "Besides… I think you have had your fill of shopping for one day. And we really should get home before the ice cream melts." 

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea…" Obito agrees…mostly because he doesn't even want to know what his parents would do with melted ice cream (they'd done it before…). 'You'd think they'd slow down a little at their age…' And he is suddenly very thankful that there are other people in the house…this would prevent him walking in on another scene like the dining room table incident. 

*** *** *** 

Suddenly a flash of green appears from out of nowhere, heading straight for Lee who only narrowly manages to avoid it and springs from the table to confront the green 'flash'. 

"Ah, it fills my heart with joy to see that your reflexes are still as quick as ever, Lee!" 

"As am I glad that you still can take me by surprise, Gai-sensei!" 

Midori claps her hands together and grins cheerfully. Her gaze flickers from her sensei to her father…clearly conflicted as to who she should cheer for…in the end she decides to cheer for both. 

"Amazing, Otousan! You are so fast! And Lee-sensei you managed to evade the attack just as quickly!" She gushes. 

"It is because even though my body ages…I keep my heart youthful!" Gai responds. 

"Ah, what an excellent declaration, Gai-sensei!" Lee exclaims and notes it down. 

"This is why you were always my favorite student Lee!" The older man proclaims tears streaming down his face. 

"Gai-sensei!" 

"Lee!" 

Midori grins as she watches the entire display, "I think it's wonderful that my father and sensei still get along so well…" She turns to Hansuke with a smile. 

*** *** *** 

Ai blinks…she feels…happy. Yoichi really wants to spend time with her…But then she frowns slightly. Why would that make her so happy? Yes, she likes spending time with him…but she's only really doing it because he's a guest…and it would be rude of her to refuse him…yes, that's what it is. Satisfied that she's justified her reason for spending time with him, she returns to smiling. 

"Then…I suppose that I accept your offer." 

"Good. " He says with great finality. "Now that we've settled that… where the hell is that waitress?" He rubs his stomach. "I'm going to starve to death…if those pancakes don't get here soon." 

*** *** *** 

'More green…' Hansuke's eyes get wide as he watches the display between the two men. '… and the hair…' A chill runs through his spine. Sure he's heard of idol worship…but this is taking it to the extreme. 'They dress alike.. they have the same hair…it's like a cult…' 

He turns to Midori then, putting a little more effort behind his smile this time. "Sure… I think that's just great." 

*** *** *** 

Mieko feels suddenly awkward. Not sure what to say as they get closer to the house. She's a bit disappointed that it's come to an end already, she had actually quite enjoyed her day with Obito, and she didn't much care to think what he would be doing with those 'vultures' when he went back out. 

Obito notes that she's quieted down since she'd obtained the plush animal…but he doesn't really think anything of it and sets the basket down on one of the kitchen counters before he goes to fish a bottle out of the one of the cupboards sneakily hidden behind a bunch of random objects. 

'They think they can hide the sake from me…' He smirks before pouring himself a glass. 

*** *** *** 

Midori smiles, "I'm glad! So many people here think they're kind of weird for behaving in such a manner…but really the world would be a much better place if everyone were so youthful!" 

*** *** *** 

Ai can't stop herself from giggling a little. Why exactly she does not know…it's not as though Yoichi had said something particularly funny…but she does hope his food arrives soon so they can finish and go see the lake before returning to the house. 

"Well that sure hit the spot…" Yoichi sighs contentedly as he finishes the last of his tea before picking up the check and looking it over. Reaching into his pocket he pulls out a few bills, thinking carefully… he doesn't want to tip too much , while she was pretty enough she sure wasn't very quick about getting his food. Finally he settles on, 'Standard tip…nothing extra.' He starts to stand up and holds his hand out to Ai. "Ready to go? Or did you want something else?" 

*** *** *** 

'Youthful…' Hansuke thinks. There is that word again. 'Why do they keep saying it?' He glances from Gai to Lee…'Nothing youthful about them…and her father….' He thinks to himself, trying to imagine this man as his father-in-law. A sick feeling rises in his stomach as he looks at Midori, then back to Gai. 'Okay… she's cute but…not that cute…' 

"You know… the tea and dango was really great." He bows politely to all three in turn. "And it was a pleasure meeting you all but … I'm sure mother must need me for something. It's getting late…" He looks down at his watch. 'Not even noon…' His face flushes as he almost trips over a chair backing up. " Well not that late… but I'm sure she needs me for something…" With that he turns quickly and runs from the teahouse, images of baby Gais running through his head. 

 

*** *** *** 

Mieko had taken up the plush animal to Koemi, only to find her sister still fast asleep in bed. Her fever was down but she looked pale. So she had placed the little animal under the covers with her and made sure she was tucked in properly before coming down to unpack the groceries. She wrinkles her nose slightly as she sees the ice cream still in the basket on the counter. 

Frowning slightly she looks over at Obito who is sitting at the table with some sake. Shaking her head she goes to pick up the container of ice cream to put in the freezer and a good bit of it leaks over her hands. Annoyed, she turns to Obito, flicking the melted ice cream from her fingers at his face. "You could have at least put the ice cream in the freezer." She gives him a little glare as she puts it away. Noting as it drips from her fingers down her forearm. 'Darn it…no point in wasting it…' she sighs and licks along the trail it was making, before licking it from her fingers as she turns back to the sink. 

'She's doing it again…' If Obito didn't know any better he'd swear she did this on purpose…then he smirks. "Hey…" he points to the flecks of ice cream on his face. "Mind cleaning this up?" Then he adds, "I won't mind if you use the same method as you did with your fingers…" 

*** *** *** 

Midori tilts her head thoughtfully as she watches Hansuke retreat. 

Silence. 

"Let's have a race!" Gai exclaims. 

"YOSH!!!" Lee and Midori respond in unison pumping their fists into the air. 

*** *** *** 

Ai accepts Yoichi's hand, "If by 'ready to go' you mean, to the lake…then yes…I am ready…" She smiles. 

Yoichi is a bit surprised. While he had held out his hand to her, very unassumingly… he still hadn't really expected her to take it. 'Progress…' He thinks to himself, giving her hand a gentle squeeze as he put his other hand in his pocket. '…there's definitely a girl under there…' A bright smiles crosses his face as he lets her lead the way. 

*** *** *** 

Hansuke is soaking in a warm hot bath about now. He had passed by the kitchen and heard Mieko snapping at Obito, for what he didn't know so he just avoided it completely. All he wanted now was a bath and then a nice warm bed… which he didn't intend to get out for at least two days. 

He sighs and slips down into the tub, dipping his head under the water. 'I definitely wouldn't have looked good with that haircut….'He thinks back to Gai and Lee, thinking that no one really does. '…and green just isn't my color.' He rationalizes to himself. 

*** *** *** 

Mieko closes her eyes and sighs as she wipes her hands dry on the dishtowel, before unpacking the rest of the groceries and gets things ready to make dinner later. 'Well have to give him credit…he went almost an hour without a crack like that…' But at least now she knows one of the things that sets him off…if she had just realized the whole banana issue before…. "I should have known it wouldn't last." She takes out one of the bananas and sits across the table from him starting to peel it, deciding if he can tease her so badly she can play stupid and tease him just as well. "I don't know what sets you off…" She sighs as she slips the tip of the banana into her mouth before slowly taking a bite. 

Obito continues to watch…and can't prevent himself from letting his mind wander to the many 'unsavory' recesses of his mind…'If she keeps this up I'm going to have to leave the house earlier than I thought I would…' 

*** *** *** 

Ai stands by the lake's shore and she sighs happily before stepping out of her shoes…and onto the water's surface…she had always liked walking on the water with her bare feet…she recalls the times she and her brother had played tag on the water's surface while their mother nearly had a panic attack on the shore, terrified of what might happen if either of them lost the chakra control and went under. Then their father had carried their mother out onto the middle of the lake while she yelled at him…something along the lines of him having hell to pay if he dared get her new dress wet…he dropped her into the water on purpose…and they didn't come out of their bedroom for hours once they got home… 

She turns to smile at Yoichi…she'd almost forgotten that he was still there… 

"Walk on water is it…count on you to find a game I can't play." Yoichi smirks, taking off his shirt and stripping down to his boxers, before taking a smooth dive in and under the water, not coming up as he swims beneath Ai for several minutes before coming up and winking at her. "Maybe I can't walk on water but… I do pretty good under it." Now there's a naughty thought…but one he sure isn't going to bring up to her. 

*** *** *** 

Having taken a little longer than she really needed, Mieko finishes the last of the banana and smiles, licking her fingers as gets up and tosses the peel in the trash. 'Dinner…' Amusing as that was seeing the look on his face as she 'played' with her food. She really needed to start getting dinner ready. She glances over her shoulder at him, regretting a little teasing him like she did, that was mean of her and she knew it, 'karma…it's going to come back and bite me in the behind.. I know it…'. "I'll save some dinner for you if you like. I'll make sure I put some away before I serve it, okay?" She offers uncertainly. 

Obito finishes the last of his sake, before he rises from the chair a little awkwardly. "Thanks…" He nods to her. He definitely needs to leave the house for a while. "I'll see you later…and if my mother asks… I didn't drink the sake." And with that said, he leaves the kitchen a little more quickly than he had intended to. 

'Damn that girl…' 

It had been cute at first…but now it was starting to get a little irritating...It's not like he could just pop out whenever he wanted to find a willing woman to take care of his needs whenever it happened. 

*** *** *** 

Ai blinks…alright she hadn't expected him to dive in…not that he isn't allowed to. "I don't just walk on water…" She smiles before she walks purposefully further out onto the lake before she proceeds to run through several acrobatic movements…maintaining her balance and chakra control she flows through them gracefully…Obito had always accused her of being a show-off…just because he couldn't do anything too complex on the water's surface without eventually messing up and falling in. 

Yoichi laughs as he stares at her admiringly. That certainly looked more like 'fun' than training. Though he suspected that she didn't really know how to differentiate between the two yet. Running his finger through his wet hair , he treads the water for a bit, just watching her. "Got to admit that's some pretty damn cool stuff…maybe one of these days you can explain to me how it is you do it." He's tempted…very tempted, and he contemplates a moment if a broken hand would be worth it. 'F*** it…' He laughs at himself as he decides to go for it anyway. Diving under the water he swims all the way to where she is doing her acrobatics in the middle of the lake, coming up for air beneath her, grabbing her by the ankle and dunking her under quickly. 

*** *** *** 

Mieko watches him leave for a moment, feeling her stomach tighten slightly. She's certainly not naïve, she knows very well what he's going to do while he's out, she just wishes it didn't bother her so much. Looking at the bottle of sake on the table, she sighs. If she left it there then she was pretty sure he would get an earful from his mother, and while she herself wanted to scream at him right now…"You're hopeless Mieko…" She scolds herself under her breath as she takes the bottle of sake and puts it back exactly as he had found it. 

*** *** *** 

Ai gasps and represses a squeal as she finds herself under the water's surface. The water is cold and she had not been prepared for it. She splutters a little through her mask as she surfaces, giving Yoichi a dangerous glare. She then forces herself to calm down a bit before she re-focuses her chakra and climbs back onto the water's surface. Performing quick hand signs, her eyes bore coolly into the questioning eyes of Yoichi's… 

"Water Style…Water Dragon Jutsu." (Can't remember the Japanese name for it…) 

Had anyone been watching they might have said Ai's reaction was a little extreme what with a gigantic water dragon rising from the depths of the lake and all. 

She'd made sure the dragon missed Yoichi…well missed most of him as she calmly walks back to the shore for her shoes… 

Yoichi watches her and throws his head back and laughs. "Damn girl… you need to get a sense of humor…" He chuckles as he swims back to shore himself. He was impressed though. Mighty impressed…'not quite as cool as Kougaji's demon summons but… still pretty damn good.' Climbing out of the water he calmly pulls back on his clothes and they cling to his damp body. He catches up with her grinning. "I don't suppose I should tell you the demon part of me…water kappa…" He winks. 

*** *** *** 

The house is quiet. Too quiet. Koemi is asleep. Hansuke never even bothered to get out of bed for dinner. Ai had been quite cranky when she'd come home while her brother Yoichi had been smiling…very scary she had thought. They had both gone to bed some time before. Yoichi explaining he had to … get up early. Even stranger still. Her parents and the Hatakes had decided to spend the evening at the hot springs…so she very much doubted they would be back any time soon… 

Unable to sleep, and feeling a little frustrated once again Mieko gets up and decides to go have herself another snack. When she reaches the kitchen she takes out the ice cream and starts to warm up some of those fritters and warm syrup. 

*** *** *** 

Obito had found not only one but two girls…or well more aptly put, they had found him and he'd been just as eager to go at it as they had…although for whatever inexplicable reason the image of Mieko eating that banana…or licking the ice cream off of her fingers kept coming to mind…and he isn't one to usually fantasize about a different woman than the one he's currently with. Not that it mattered in the end…all parties had been satisfied and gotten what they wanted. 

He sees a light in the kitchen…so someone is up…not that it is all too surprising…it isn't particularly late. He enters the kitchen quietly via the back door and smirks when he sees just who it is standing there…alone. 

"Miss me?" Obito chuckles playfully. 

Mieko gasps and jumps slightly startled. Luckily for her there was nothing for her to bang her head on at the moment and she had tight enough hold of her bowl to keep from dropping it. "I don't know how I never hear you…" She sighs as she sets the bowl down on the table. " I left you something in the refrigerator. I can heat it up for you if you like." She pulls the belt of her robe more tightly around her. Her stomach is in knots as she looks up at him, feeling very awkward at the moment. She's certain he must be hungry from all the energy he must have…expended. 

"Sure." Obito smirks and retrieves the sake from the cupboard before he seats himself at the table…she seems uncomfortable…and he just knows that it's because of him…he's always reveled in the way he's been able to affect women…but unlike the other women…Mieko seems to be trying her best not to give into his charms…'We'll see about that…' He thinks to himself…he'd make a move once she'd gotten used to his presence and catch her off guard…he likes doing the unexpected. 

After several moments of silence as she heats up the food she had saved, she finally sets it down on the table for him. "It's probably not as good as it was when I first made it…" Mieko apologizes as she takes the seat across from him and begins picking a little at her dessert. Suddenly not feeling quite so hungry. 

Obito samples the food first…and he doesn't care if she thinks it's no good…it's certainly much better than anything he would have come up with. "Something on your mind?" He muses as he notes her picking at her food. 'Or maybe I should say someone…' 

"Hmmm?" She looks up at him…"I'm tired I think…" She shrugs lightly. 'And I'm sure you are too…' She thinks to herself, shuddering a little. "I don't suppose I'm so hungry as I thought. I should get back to bed…" She gets up taking her bowl to the counter looking for something to wrap it with. 

"You really sure you want to go already…" Obito whispers breathily into her ear standing oh so close behind her…if she backed up by just even a little she'd be up against him. Oh, he could tease too…except that his methods are hardly as subtle as hers… 

Gripping the edge of the counter with her hands she closes her eyes and takes in a deep breath. "You don't play fair…" She says quietly. 

Obito settles his hands on her waist…only to run them languidly up to her shoulders…and then down her arms placing his hands on hers…"Neither do you…" He chuckles into her ear…as he brushes his masked lips against the junction of her neck and shoulder. 

Mieko shivers, but she's not in the least bit cold. In fact she's feeling quite warm in places she wishes she didn't right now. "But you started it…" 

"Hmmm…do you want me to stop?" He asks playfully as he continues his ministrations. 

That's not a question she can honestly answer…"I really should go to bed…Obito-san…" She turns and uses her hands to gently press against his chest, trying to push him away. "And you must be tired too…you've had a long night I'm sure." The last words come out with the slightest of an edge. 

Obito figures he's done enough for tonight…after all there would be plenty more opportunities come the next day…"Good night, Mieko-chan…" Then he whispers something into her ear, "Sweet dreams…I know I'll be in them…" And with that he leaves the poor flustered girl to stand alone in the kitchen…and he is very pleased with himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'll admit that Obito does start off as a bit of a creep...Alright, something of a total creep, but...he does improve...eventually...*Sigh*


	6. Chapter 6

Ai looks through her 'normal' clothes and sighs…she can't remember the last time she'd thought so carefully about what to wear…and she'd sooner chew off her own tongue before she went to ask her mother for advice…'She'd just make me wear another dress…' And there is just no way she'd let that happen again. She doesn't even know why she's giving it so much thought, it's not like she really cares what Yoichi thinks about her looks. 'Then why is this so difficult!' She frowns before tentatively making her selection… 

Mieko wants to scream. Burying her face in her pillow for a few more minutes before actually getting up. 'Sweet dreams…' That's what he'd said. 'I know I'll be in them…darn him…' And he was right, he was, but they were anything but sweet. The little sleep she had gotten was very fitful, and her dreams left her more frustrated than ever. Ever since he'd kissed her that second time…she found it very hard to think of anything or anyone else. 'You have to get over it Mieko…' She sighs at herself. But she didn't want to get over it. 'How am I going to get through a whole day with him again….?' She'd never been teased this way before by anyone, well certainly not to this extreme and she'd never actually done anything to encourage it…before. She knew full well that banana incident would get him a bit warmed up but…it had only got him out of the house. What she had been hoping was he would only tease her more. While she knew that was not necessarily a good thing, it annoyed her a little when he teased her but she liked it too. If a man could make her more confused than Obito was…she couldn't think of a way how. 'But gods…if teasing him like that only makes him leave…' she wasn't going to tease him anymore. Irrational as it was…the idea of him with another girl gave her the sickest feeling…. 

"Enough Mieko…You're making yourself crazy…" She throws the pillow to the foot off the bed, taking note as she opens her eyes that Ai is already awake and…she seems to be having a little trouble, as she's looking through her clothes uncertainly a bit of a frown on her face. She can't help but think to her that seemed odd. Rubbing her eyes lightly she sits up in the bed. Ai certainly didn't seem the sort to worry about what she was wearing. "Need some help picking something out Ai-san?" 

*** *** *** 

Yoichi is up and in the shower, humming cheerfully. He can't stop smiling as he lets the hot water run over his body. He was sure Ai was warming up to him. When he'd been sure she would break his hand she'd only bothered to summon up some sort of …'water dragon jutsu…yeah that’s what she called it.' While his intention was to get her to have a little fun and not upset her, it was still definitely progress. He doubted Ai-san would ever lighten up completely and totally let herself go but… she had been so sweet yesterday. The way she had talked about the lake and her family. It was definitely a good thing that she seemed to be feeling comfortable enough around him to open up a little. 

As he steps from the shower he wraps a towel around himself, inspecting his hair and finger combing it so it's 'just right'. As he's staring at himself very critically in the mirror he frowns a moment. "I wonder how a tattoo would look…" He ponders the idea a moment, 'Obito's tattoos definitely do seem to do something for the ladies'… he turns and looks at his back in the mirror. "Water dragon would look really cool…" Definitely…definitely something to think about. 

*** *** *** 

"Um…" Ai pauses hesitantly before lifting a shirt up to herself and turning to Mieko. "Do you think this…looks nice?" She is hoping that Mieko is going to be a whole lot less pushy than her Kasan. 

She may want to look nice but she doesn't want to go completely against her usual style...like that damn dress. 

*** *** *** 

Obito smirks behind his mask…he's still laying back in bed…not quite ready to get up yet even though he is awake. He's sure that his actions last night had had the desired effect on the girl…'Serves her right for eating so damn erotically…' 

Today would be an interesting day provided she still wanted to spend it with him. But somehow he doubts she'd back out at this stage, he is fairly certain that he's made a lasting impression on her by now. Then he frowns a little, while it's always been mostly fun and games to him...from the way she teased him, it might partially be true for Mieko as well. But he has to watch himself, he doesn't want to get in too deep. Obito has never been a one woman man, and he has no intentions of settling down any time soon. Not that it would stop him from having just a little more fun with the girl…but that's all it would be, nothing more, and nothing less. 

*** *** *** 

Mieko smiles. Yoichi had told her he planned to spend the day with Ai, and she'd helped him make up something simple for a picnic lunch to take with them. It had surprised her quite a bit. Her brother never put effort into anything when it came to women. But she got the sense from him he found Ai to be very pleasant to 'talk' with. That alone had caused Mieko to wonder but…as long as Yoichi was enjoying himself and he's forgiven her for the incident from the previous day…it really wasn't her place to say anything. 'So long…as you behave.' Mieko had glared at her brother. She was very serious about that too. She liked Ai very much and if her brother did anything out of hand she was going to thrash him… not that she didn't think Ai could do that quite well on her own…(Yoichi had been very explicit when describing how Ai had beaten him in their sparring match…and about the water dragon jutsu...) but if there was anything left of him after Ai was through she would finish him off. Yoichi had only chuckled and told her not to be silly…he didn't think of Ai 'that' way. But Mieko wasn't so sure. She'd never seen her brother like that. 

"Blue…do you have a blue top? It would look nice with your silver hair I think." Mieko smiles and gets up looking through Ai's clothes with her. And she gives Ai a little sideways smile, "And blue is Yoichi's favorite color…something to do with the water I think." 

*** *** *** 

Yoichi is dressed and ready to go. He'd put on a pair of casual beige linen trousers and a cool white shirt which he'd left mostly unbuttoned and he was packing up the last of the food Mieko had helped him prepare as he looked through it to make sure everything was there. Then he checked his wallet to make sure he had enough cash with him to get through the day. Everything seemed to be in order but he frowns as he notices the two condoms still in there. They'd been in there for three days now, and he didn't usually have them hanging around that long. 'Well that's certainly going to make for a lousy impression…' He'd forgotten they were even in there, 'weird…' he frowns to himself, how he could have forgotten he doesn't know but ..'Screw it…' he takes them out and tosses them into the trash. 

*** *** *** 

Ai blinks…why would Mieko feel the need to tell her that blue is Yoichi's favorite color. After all it isn't like she's dressing to impress him…at least that's what she tells herself. 

Nonetheless…she'd ended up wearing a blue top found in the back of her wardrobe somewhere. She couldn't even recall owning it, which suggests that it had probably been something her mother had bought her at some point that she'd then shoved into the back. Not that the top's style or cut is highly objectionable, just not what a ninja would wea. But a quick check shows that it still grants her the flexibility she's used to, and the rest of the outfit had flown on from there. Two things, however, remain unchanged…the mask and the bindings…they would stay in place. 

"Thank you for your help Mieko-san…" She tells the girl politely. 

*** *** *** 

Once he's had enough of lying around and staring up at the ceiling, Obito decides to head off for a quick shower. He gets the feeling that Mieko might get annoyed if he kept her waiting too long, at least most women did. Even though he found that they themselves took forever to get ready. 

*** *** *** 

Mieko looks through her clothes, not entirely sure herself what she wants to wear. She certainly couldn't dress to suit what she was sure were Obito's taste. Recalling what those 'tarts' were wearing when they came skulking around yesterday, well it turned her stomach. Someone really out to tell them they ought to leave a bit to the imagination. 'Imagination…' She growls at herself, as he mind began to trail off…Obito was giving her plenty to imagine and it bothered her a little that she liked it. All the things her father had talked to her about…warned her about…the things that had scared her for years, still scared her a little even…Obito was making them seem suddenly very appealing. 

'I really need a long hot …bath…' She sighs as she decides on a pretty rose colored wrap blouse trimmed in deep green ribbon, and a matching skirt which falls nearly to her ankles, hunting through her clothes for a camisole to wear beneath it…whatever else she was thinking she certainly didn't want to put too much on show for him. Not today, she stiffened a little as she thought…'I'm sure he saw enough when he went out yesterday…' She grabs her clothes and makes for the bath hoping she gets there before anyone else. 

*** *** *** 

Yoichi smiles as Ai comes into the kitchen. "You like nice…" He smiles and takes special notice of her blouse. "That's a very pretty blouse…how'd you know blue was my favorite color? " He winks, crooking his arm to her as he waits by the back door, picnic basket in one hand. 

"I didn't…" Ai pointedly walks past him. 'At least not until Mieko mentioned it…' She thinks to herself, not that he needed to know that. "Are you coming or not?" She turns her head to look back at him briefly. 

*** *** *** 

Obito had gotten through his shower fairly quickly and is currently messing with his hair…Somehow, he doesn't feel like the tied back look is going to do it for him today…and failing to do anything else with it…he decides to just leave it down. Judging from some of the previous reactions he'd gotten from the girls…they seemed to like this look even better… 

*** *** *** 

Not wanting a repeat of the other day, Mieko knocks on the door a bit more purposefully than she had before. "Is anyone in there?" 

*** *** *** 

"Yes Ma'am." Yoichi salutes Ai as she looks back at him. "Bossy little thing aren't you?" He grins. So… she hadn't taken his arm, 'Oh well…' She definitely was far more unpredictable than the women and girls he knew but… if she wanted to lead the way today then that was fine by him. 

Ai walks on in silence, it's not like she's angry or upset with him. As far as she's concerned she'd called it even with the water dragon jutsu. She just does not know what to say…and it irritates her. Why is it that whenever she is with him, she finds herself at a loss for words? She isn't even sure where she's actually taking him…just letting herself walk and seeing what they might stumble across… 

*** *** *** 

Obito pokes his head out, just about done. 

He smirks at her, "I've just about finished…but…" He briefly brushes his hand against her cheek. "It's a pity you didn't show up sooner…I would have asked you to join me." He winks and laughs lightly before stepping out completely and off to the side to give Mieko access. 

Mieko blushes. Not knowing how to respond to that. It was not an unappealing thought at all and it bothered her. Now she was only more frustrated than she had been when she woke up. "I'm sorry I know I'm running late. I'll try to finish with my bath fast as I can…" She walks past him closing the door behind her, not entirely sure this bath is going to be such a quick one. 

*** *** *** 

"Soooo any idea where we're going or just… wandering until you find something that appeals to you?" Yoichi keeps in step with her. "I don't suppose you're the sewing type. Mieko likes to do that…" He tries to think of something to say as he lightly lets the fingers of one hand play against the leaves as they pass through a particularly pleasant street lined with trees. They would be turning soon, he thought to himself frowning. That was the only thing he didn't like about fall. The trees turning color was nice but soon after that meant everything would be dead. He didn't like that part of it at all. "I love when the weather turns…" He sighs. "But I hate when the leaves die." 

Ai blinks in surprise, "How come?" She can't say that she's ever given it too much thought…and she'd never imagined that someone like Yoichi would either… 

*** *** *** 

Instead of going up to his room or into the kitchen or generally some place sensible to wait for Mieko to finish. Obito remains where he is with his ear firmly pressed to the door hoping for something similar to what he'd overheard the previous morning.

Mieko turns on the bath water, sitting on the edge testing it to be sure it's quite warm enough. Satisfied when she gets to just the right temperature she goes over to the vanity looking through the bottles until she find just the right scent of oil she wants. Vanilla…for whatever reason that just sounds nice right now. After pouring in just a very few drops she slips out of her robe and tests the water with her toe before slipping in. One foot resting up on the edge of the bath she gets herself in a comfortable position…closing her eyes as she gives herself a little 'special attention'. 

*** *** *** 

Yoichi shrugs and smiles a little. "Just…seems wrong somehow. It's almost like the trees are sad all winter long. It's not rational I know. I understand even though they're living things they don't have emotion or feeling but…I look forward to spring and those first new blooms, when everything seems to come back to life again." He plucks off a green leaf from one of the trees and twirls it in his fingers, studying it carefully for a moment. Then he shakes off that mood and turns to smile at her, tickling her nose lightly with the tip of the leaf. "You'd love my village in the spring. It's beautiful there then." 

Ai gazes at Yoichi in mild wonder…that was…almost poetic…"Maybe, I'll be able to stop by when I go out on a mission." She finds herself saying without really thinking and she looks away very quickly once the realization does dawn on her. 'Please don't read so much into that…' She thinks so intently she's almost convinced he'll be able to hear her thoughts. 

*** *** *** 

"There we go…" Obito murmurs softly with a smirk when he hears the familiar little sounds…'Damn I really wish I had the Byakugan right now…' 

'Sensei would probably beat me to a pulp for thinking that...' He smirks and recalls the time he'd asked the man if he could use the kekkei genkai to look through women's clothing and possibly describe what he saw to him. Unfortunately Hyuuga Neji had not responded to this all too kindly. Not that that matters now, Obito tries to guess just what it is she's doing exactly from the noises she's making… 

Half an hour and no matter how hard she tries it isn't working, she just can't get it right and she's beyond frustration as she finally gives up, utterly exhausted. "God it's not fair…" She murmurs to herself as she sinks back into the tub, taking a few moments to catch her breath. "I bet he could get me there…" She closes her eyes silently screaming at herself for even daring to think just what he might do if he heard that. 

*** *** *** 

That was quite a surprise to hear her say that, and he can tell saying it surprised her just as much. Not wanting to make her uncomfortable, "You should." He says honestly. "It's really quite a nice town and if you get there at just the right time I could take you to the festivals. But I warn you, I might want to take you to dinner someplace where you 'have' to wear a dress. But I swear the food they have is well worth it." 

"There you go, talking about dresses again…" Ai sighs. "What is this obsession with getting me into a dress? They're so impractical…" But then she pauses and considers the other things Yoichi had said…Festival…and dinner…Konoha has festivals of its own but more often than not, being a ninja meant she had other responsibilities to tend to...Not that she doesn't still enjoy the festivities...

*** *** *** 

Obito smirks as he steps away from the door and heads down to the kitchen. It probably would have been fun to still be standing there once she got out of the bathroom but he doesn't want to overdo it. There'd be plenty opportunities to tease her once they got out of the house…not to mention more privacy. 

*** *** *** 

"I'll admit. I have no idea about whether or not dresses are practical." Yoichi chuckles. "Never had the occasion to wear one myself. But I won't lie, not that you don't look pretty now as you are… because you do… even if I can't see half of your face…but you looked extremely appealing at dinner the other night. And there are just some places where a dress is necessary. Some of the restaurants I am particularly fond of do happen to require a dress code…" He frowns a little wondering that he sounds a little arrogant. He himself enjoys getting dressed in his best and going that extra step to look good. But Ai is far more unaffected than most women he knows, and certainly less than he is… "And…at any point I start sounding a bit too full of myself…please do…feel free to smack me." He smirks and winks at her. 

*** *** *** 

Mieko hurries from the bath, her hair still a bit damp but she was running much too late to dry it. And she really didn't want to keep him waiting any longer than she knew she had. She hurries down the stairs to the kitchen wondering if she has enough time for a quick bite and something to drink before they leave. 

"Took your time there, didn't you?" Obito remarks from the table…and it looks like he's been helping himself to the sake again. He gives her a good look over, "You don't have to rush you know…I've waited this long, so waiting a little while longer won't make a difference…" 

*** *** *** 

Ai isn't sure what to take in first, the compliments Yoichi seems to keep giving her or the offer to smack him, not that she really needed his permission to do so if she really wanted to. Then again if she ever feels compelled enough to inflict some form of physical punishment on him, it would likely be a little more than just a smack. 

What does override all thoughts though is the sudden image of Yoichi in a dress…and try as she might she can't stop herself from laughing, though she tries to muffle it by placing a hand over her masked mouth. 

Yoichi looks a bit confused. "If I said something funny… I think I missed it…" He scratches his head lightly, but he can't help but grin. She looks even sweeter when she laughs. 

*** *** *** 

Mieko looks down at her clothes a moment, feeling a little unsure of herself, wondering what it is he's looking at. "I took so long in the bath, I just didn't want to keep you waiting." She inspects her skirt, checking front and back and looks down at her blouse and peeks to make sure her camisole is adjusted high enough. "Is there something wrong with how I look…?" She wonders as she touches her still damp hair. Certainly it's not completely dry but she had combed it neatly and pulled it back… 

"Nothing at all…" Obito smirks before adding. "Well, you could probably show off a little more skin, but no…there is nothing 'wrong' with the way you look…" He leans back in his chair. "Just take your time…we'll head out whenever you're ready…" 

*** *** *** 

"Oh, it's nothing…" Ai smiles once she's composed herself. "Just the image of you in a dress…" She giggles before she changes direction and walks a little more purposefully. "I think I know where we'll be going now…" 

'It's been so long since I last went there…' She sighs inwardly. 'To the open fields…' 

'So she does have a sense of humor in there somewhere…' Yoichi pretends to be a little hurt by that comment about picturing him in a dress. "Hey… don't laugh…it's not funny… I have great legs. I might look good in a dress." He mutters a little, the corners of his mouth twitching in amusement as he keeps in step with her as she changes direction. "So you going to give me a hint where we're going… or did you already dig the grave and just waiting till you caught me unawares to shove me in it?" 

*** *** *** 

"Well no… I certainly don't need to show any more skin…if this top were any lower it would be indecent…" She pulls up her camisole a touch more as she looks at him uncertainly. "I'm ready now… I think…" She's wondering what he could possibly be waiting for her to do…What could she be forgetting." OOOOh…" She says quickly giggling. "I forgot my purse. Be back in a flash then we can go." She runs past him toward the stairs before stopping suddenly and rushing back peeking around the kitchen doorway. "But… do you think you could pour me a juice and make me a quick bite to eat. I'm completely famished this morning. Don't know why…" She turns and hurries up the stairs to retrieve her purse as quickly as she can. 

Obito raises an eyebrow…but rises from the chair and takes a look around in the fridge, he probably could just continue sitting at the table to vex her. He's sure it would be amusing to watch, but she'd fed him often enough so he supposes he could return the favor. Juice is easy…that he can handle…as for food…something ready-to-eat would have to do…ever since that one incident he had been banned from using the stove…or oven. 

'Famished and doesn't know why…' He smirks. 'That girl always seems to be hungry…' Obito makes a mental note to take her some place that has a food source close by. 

*** *** *** 

"Oh, you haven't done enough to incur such a fate…yet." Ai responds calmly…so calmly in fact that it sounds like she's serious. "And as to where we'll be going…" She smiles. "You'll just have to wait and see." 

'Damn she's a ball buster.' Yoichi grins to himself. It was refreshing. Most women just seemed to fall to pieces around him. But Ai… she had an answer for everything. 

*** *** *** 

"There… that didn't take long." Mieko smiles brightly as she hurries back into the kitchen. 

Obito had set a glass of juice on the counter-top and slapped the first edible-looking substance he'd found onto a plate. He is now back at the table, glass of sake in hand…though he seems to have put the bottle away. 

*** *** *** 

Finally, they get there…And Ai takes a moment to look around, it hadn't changed much from the last time she'd come here, that last time having been with her team-mates and sensei. There's a slight twinge in her chest…she does miss spending time with them. Even if her sensei had been the laziest and most frustrating man she had ever met… 

But she turns to face Yoichi with a smile, "Here we are." 

Yoichi can't help but smile himself. Even with that mask it's obvious she's smiling, her eyes are so bright. He sets down the picnic basket and looks around taking in the scenery, memorizing the little details. 'Admit it or not …' he thinks to himself. 'The girl is a softie at heart.' Whatever reason she liked this place he was sure had to do with some more 'fond' memories. 

*** *** *** 

Mieko covers her mouth to stifle a laugh. Well she had asked for juice…and something to eat. Somehow orange juice…and an orange just seemed a little strange of a choice to her. "Thank you Obito-san." She squeezes his arm lightly and gives him a quick peck on the cheek before sitting down at the table. She begins peeling the orange carefully before dividing it. She takes one of the sections nibbling at just the end before sucking the juice from the remaining portion of it." Then she suddenly realizes, "Oh my gosh I'm sorry…I'm so rude…would you like some?" She offers him a segment. 

"Oh, no thanks. I'm fine." Obito responds. 'Talk about fun with fruit…' He thinks. 

*** *** *** 

Ai is leaning against a tree…her gaze tilted upwards to the sky…watching the clouds float by… 

Yoichi walks over and leans beside her. Not saying a word, he slides down against the tree, a smile on his face as he sits and watches the clouds with her for a moment. 

*** *** *** 

After licking the last bit of juice from her fingers and gulping down the glass quickly, she takes both the plate and glass over to the sink, washing them up and placing them in the strainer before drying off her hands. "There… now I'm ready." She smiles brightly as she turns to Obito. "Where are you taking me today?" She can't really imagine any place he would like to go that didn't involve… picking up women. But then he had said so… 

"It's a surprise…" Obito chuckles giving Mieko a little suggestive wink as he struts to the door, "After you…" He gestures. 

*** *** *** 

"My sensei did this all the time…and he still does I suppose." Ai explains quietly after a while. "My team-mates and I always wondered how he seemed capable of knowing what we were doing even though he didn't look like he was paying attention…" She remembered asking her sensei about it at some point…and all that he'd had to offer was that it was too 'troublesome to watch' them train all the time… 

Yoichi laughs. "I'd have to say I would wonder about that too. Although, watching clouds instead of you…? I can't say I agree. Your moves are quite impressive." 

*** *** *** 

Mieko had to admit she was a little concerned as she exited in front of him. She wasn't so sure she could handle any more surprises from him. "Is it something I'll like?" 

"Oh, I'll make sure of that…" Obito chuckles as he too exits and shuts the door behind him. "And that's a promise…" He winks and secures his arm around Mieko's waist…curious to see if she'll allow it to remain there or distance herself from him. He hopes for the former… 

*** *** *** 

Ai shrugs, "Not so much at the time…and even now…there are many ninja whose skills far outrank my own…which is why I train so hard…" She goes on with determination. "I intend to be one of the best and I will serve and protect this village at all costs as a Konoha kunoichi…" Being able to call herself a shinobi always fills her with a sense of pride. 

Yoichi shifts his position and lays back on the cool grass lacing his fingers behind his head, glancing from the sky to her. The fact that she had said 'one of the best' made him smile. He would have expected her to say 'the best', so it was nice to see she perhaps had a hint of humility. 

"I know guys like that. Who want to be 'one of the best' as you say. My two cousins, Daitaro and Daijiro…those two I'd have to say…"the" best there is. Certainly from what I've seen. You'd like 'jiro I bet. He's really dedicated. And even 'taro would be the first to admit he can't take him in a fight. I wouldn't doubt he takes over his dad's spot as general soon. I'm pretty sure the only reason he hasn't is Doku isn't ready to retire yet." Yoichi grins, wondering that if Doku did retire that would only give him and his Aunt Emi more time to create even more offspring. 

"You know…my uncle Doku and aunt Emi are expecting their tenth child? Can you imagine? 10 kids…and for all we know it could be 11 since she already has two sets of twins." Then for all they know it could even be triplets and that thought brings a huge grin to Yoichi's face and he chuckles softly. For whatever reason Yoichi is feeling a desire to babble. Maybe because he doesn't really ever 'talk' to girls other than a few lines here and there to get them into the mood… and it's nice feeling like Ai is actually interested in what he's saying, and not just pretending because she's wanting a little piece of him. 

"You know you might find this amusing…you're only the second human to ever beat me in a fight…and wouldn't you know the other one was a girl even tinier than you are? To look at her you'd never think Maemi-chan had it in her." He thinks to himself for a moment about Maemi-chan and Daitaro-kun. That had been a shock. His cousin was an even bigger player than Obito and now…a little thing like Maemi-chan…he didn't know how it happened, he never thought his older cousin would get so hooked on anyone, much less a 'sweet' girl. "And she even took my cousin out of the 'game'. He was a worse player than your brother if you can imagine it. And now he's henpecked…by a girl half his size…" He shakes his head, Daitaro was definitely his father's son. It was amazing. He really never thought he'd see the day Daitaro would settle down. He was sure Daijiro would have gotten married and had kids long before his twin even considered it. 

Yoichi looks up at Ai, who is looking down at him her eyes wide and he blushes slightly realizing how long he'd just been talking. "Sorry…I'm just babbling on and on. I must be boring you to death." This was strange. He never talked this much and he wondered, there was an odd feeling he was getting right now…was he nervous. 'Nah couldn't be…'he thinks to himself. No way in hell was he nervous. 

*** *** *** 

There it was his arm around her waist and it made her flinch a little. It felt something other than nice but she made no move to push him away. Maybe it was stupid, she knew he was only trying to get a 'rise' out of her by doing it but she would have been slightly disappointed if he hadn't done it that, or at least put his arm around her shoulder or something. Nervously she plays with a strand of her hair, twirling it around her fingers, still damp and she really wished she had taken the time to dry it properly. 'Maybe he doesn't like how I look after all…' She thinks to herself a little dejectedly. 'Nothing 'wrong' with the way you look', that’s what he had said but…the way he had said it made her feel like there was. At least in his eyes there was but, if he only liked girls who dressed like tarts…then she supposed she was just out of luck because there was no way she was letting the whole world get an eyeful of what she felt was very private. Her cleavage wasn't going to be on display for just anyone to see. No wonder she liked Ai so much, that much at least they had in common. 

Not knowing what to say she glances around as she lets Obito lead the way. The trees would be turning soon and she couldn't help but smile. She loved the fall and all the colors when the leaves turned…more festivals…there was nothing nicer to her than coming home after a chilly day…"Is the autumn here pretty?" She lightly touches the leaves of a tree as they pass by. A very few of the leaves were getting hints of color to them and she found herself wondering about it. "It's my favorite time of year…" She says simply as she tries to think of something to talk about with him that will keep her mind off his hands. She is much too conscious of his arm around her right now and her stomach is filling a little with butterflies and she needs something to get her mind off it. "I love coming home after a chilly day, and getting comfy in a big chair with a cup of hot chocolate." She glances up at him frowning curiously as she stops playing with her hair and fingers his a little, wondering why he left it down, and she tried to decide if she liked it that way or not. 

Obito smiles, it's cute he can tell that she's nervous and he's betting his mission money that it's because of him. He takes a brief look around for himself, he never really was one to pay much attention to the change in season other than that it either got hotter or colder. Well, autumn maybe got him to notice it a little more, mostly because his mother always made him rake the fallen leaves, now there was a chore he hated doing. Figures that the Village hidden in the leaves would have a sh*tload of them for him to rake. 

"I guess autumn here looks like it does in most places…" He doesn't often think of anything being pretty, girls and women are the exception of course. He raises an eyebrow when he notices her playing with his hair, "Something wrong with it?" He smiles. 

*** *** *** 

Ai is surprised, but pleasantly so. The blush, however slight, does not go unnoticed. Yoichi seems to be a much nicer…sweeter guy than she had originally thought. She appreciates the fact that Yoichi told her so much and she is genuinely interested. "I don't mind." She responds softly and moves to sit on the grass beside him, she is quite content listening to him. "I find it interesting. Ten children though…I don't think I know anyone in Konoha who has that many children. Shinobi just don't seem to have time to have more than two." And she frowns slightly. "And from what I've heard childbirth is very painful…to go through that so many times…my mother went through it twice and fractured my father's hand both times." 

She smiles then, "A pity someone else beat me to it…I wouldn't have minded being the first to defeat you in a sparring match…" Referring to his being beaten by 'Maemi-chan'. 

He chuckles. "You'd like her I'm sure. You could compare notes on how you both kicked my ass." He lets out a sigh and rolls over onto his side, propping himself up slightly on one elbow, resting his head in his hand. He's thinking about his aunt and uncle. "You know I never thought about it really, I'm not sure I'm cut out for kids to be honest. But I'm sure if childbirth were so awful...I doubt Aunt Emi wouldn't have had so many. Though it sounds like it was plenty painful for your father." Yoichi grins. "So Hana-san really broke his hand?" He looks down at his own, making a mental note to be extra careful not to get anyone pregnant... ever. 

*** *** *** 

"I was just wondering why you left it down…" She pulls her hand away and looks ahead of her. Still not quite sure what she thinks of it. 

"Just wanted to do something different." He responds with a shrug. "You don't like it?" It's not like he'd really care if she liked it or not. Obito is selfish and he is aware of his own personality flaws. Yet, he wouldn't mind having Mieko's approval. A thought that makes him want to frown, he'd never even had to try to get a girl's approval, they just sort of did. 

*** *** *** 

"Well…" Ai giggles a little. "For a few years my father tried explaining it away as an injury he got on a mission, but it just seemed an odd coincidence that his arm was in a cast and sling in both photos, and when I asked my mother about it, she told us the truth." She sighs. "And apparently she swore off ever having another child when she was having Obito…" Then she shrugs. "Guess there must've been something she saw in that newborn screaming face of his that changed her mind, or I wouldn't be here." 

That makes Yoichi grin. "All babies are cute. Have to admit that…and it is extra nice going to visit my aunt and uncle. Because there's always one around. It's just nice so long as they aren't mine." He leans back again and stares up at the sky. "Ever try to wonder what life would be like if you could just skip ahead ten years? I know I try to sometimes… and I never see kids in the picture…" He frowns slightly. "Not like mom is in any rush to be a grandmother or anything but she does hint now and again how nice it would be to have babies around. Especially since Koemi is getting a little bigger. And I'm not thinking she plans on having anymore now… It's a real pain…" 

*** *** *** 

"I didn't say I didn't like it." Mieko fingers it a moment longer. His hair is so soft and silky. Why she found that so surprising she didn't know. "I think I just got used to you with it pulled back is all." She pulls her hand away, once again moving to play with her own hair nervously. 

Well that answer is inconclusive at best, but Obito just shrugs it off as he continues leading her to his 'special spot'. 

It's at the point where the path ends that he stops and turns to Mieko with a smirk behind his mask, "So, Mieko-chan…how much would you say you trust me?" 

*** *** *** 

"I've day-dreamed a little…" Ai confesses. "Although most of it revolves around me being a great ninja rather than starting a family of my own…I just don't really see marriage and children happening in my future…I'll be too focused doing what it takes to get to my goal…" She glances at Yoichi, "Then again, ten years might not be far enough ahead. My father was 33 when Obito was born." Ai then sighs. "I just know that my brother is going to do something stupid someday, it's just a matter of time before he slips up and then we'll have to deal with some floozy." She frowns at that thought before she realizes what she said, "I'm sorry, that must have sounded really horrible of me to say…" Ai flushes slightly. 

Yoichi chuckles and then turns a little serious as he looks at her. "No it's okay. I can totally get why you would say that. He doesn't give me the impression he's the most responsible guy in the world. He's probably been lucky so far. But that kind of luck runs out eventually. That's why I'm always really careful about things." 

He glances up at her noticing the slight blush on her face. He frowns a little. "I'm not meaning just about sex either. I mean everything. Like I said I might not see kids in my future any time soon but I definitely see myself getting someplace. I intend to have my position secure before I would even consider settling down. I know mom and dad had it pretty rough starting out. It was a real struggle especially when I came along. They didn't exactly plan me…" Yoichi chuckles. "I don't think they really planned out anything especially with Dad, he just sort of goes with the flow you know? Mother is better at thinking things through but…with dad around…" 

He frowns as he realizes he is babbling on once more. 'Why do I keep doing this now?' He wonders, as he turns to look at her smiling gently as he shrugs. "What I'm trying to say is…I don't want any surprises in my life. I know where I want to be and I don't want anything to mess it up." 

*** *** *** 

'Trust him…?' Mieko thought seriously a moment then laughed softly. She trusted him to not push her into anything she didn't want…beyond that…he was completely unpredictable. "How does little to not at all sound?" She smirks. 

"Good enough." Obito smirks as in one swift motion he literally sweeps Mieko off her feet and over his shoulder. "Hang on tight." He cautions before he starts leaping up the steep rock face. 

*** *** *** 

"Things don't always go according to plan though…" Ai responds. "As hard as we try to expect the unexpected…there's always something bound to turn up and surprise you." Ai then frowns. "I'm being a bit of a wet blanket, aren't I?" 

"No, Ai-chan. I don't think that at all." He takes her hand giving it a gentle reassuring squeeze. "Truthfully, I can not tell you a time I enjoyed talking to a woman more. In fact…horrible as it may sound I've ever really bothered to try either. I mean that Ai-chan…you make for extremely pleasant company." He takes her hand and brings it to his lips planting a very sweet, quick kiss on it. Affectionate but not in anyway offensive. At least he hopes it's not offensive, though why he had even done it he isn't sure. 

*** *** *** 

"What are you doing…?" Mieko gasps as she clutches his shirt tightly, her voice a terrified squeak as her eyes get bigger the further away they get from the ground. He's ascending the rock face at an amazing speed and she can't fully grasp it. Though she is not one to be afraid of heights…she had never expected herself to be in a position quite like this one. Her fingers dig into his back slightly as she grips his shirt even more tightly thinking…'well…I'm pretty sure his fan-club can't get up here at least…' 

Reaching the top, Obito sets Mieko down on her feet carefully…but maintains his arm around her waist…just in case she needed the support. "Hope that didn't scare you too much." He chuckles. "There is a pathway leading up here…but it would have taken us way too long that way…so I took a shortcut." He grins behind the mask. 

*** *** *** 

Ai's heart is thumping loudly in her ears…her face is burning…'Get a grip Ai!' She mentally reprimands herself firmly. 'It was a quick kiss on the hand! It's not a big deal! You've threatened to kill men for doing less!' Her internal dialogue continues. She withdraws her hand a little faster than she had meant to. "Thank you…" She mumbles quietly. "…I like talking to you too…" She focuses her gaze on the ground before her, absolutely hating the way she is reacting, she's supposed to be a kunoichi and she's supposed to be able to keep her emotions under control. 'I'm being such a Genin…' She thinks dejectedly. 

Her reaction doesn't go completely unnoticed and Yoichi pauses making a mental note not to kiss her hand again, since in his opinion she obviously had not liked it. He sits up then and reaches for the basket. "I'm feeling a little hungry. How about you?" He smiles as he starts unpacking it. "I promise, I won't poison you, Mieko helped me make this so it's all totally edible." He winks at her. 

*** *** *** 

"Startled more than scared…but yes… it was a little scary," She says honestly as she is trembling a little still. She can't seem to stop shaking and she clutches now the front of his shirt as she glances just over her shoulder feeling a little overwhelmed. Noting carefully, just how high up they are. "Do you think we could get a little further away from the edge now…?" 

"Scared I'm going to let you fall?" He teases before moving her further away from the edge. "Relax…As long as I'm here I won't let anything happen to you." Then Obito smirks. "Unless you want something to happen that is…" He winks suggestively allowing his arm to slip just a tad lower. 

*** *** *** 

Ai gives Yoichi a steady look, "Poisoning a ninja isn't that easy and besides…." Having calmed herself down somewhat she returns to smiling. "I think I trust you enough with or without your sister's assistance." 

"Good." He smiles back at her. "I really shouldn't put myself down like that though. I'm not such a bad cook. It's just Mieko is better. I think the only thing she's in love with is food." He laughs. "But we kind of have to know how to cook. Mom and Dad tend to get a little…'carried away' and mealtime will come and go without them realizing." He chuckles. "We'd starve if we didn't know how to cook at least a little." 

*** *** *** 

"What could I possibly want to happen…?" She swallows hard as she looks up at him, her heart nearly beating from her chest, but she doesn't make a move to stop his hand. 

He'd wanted to make his move a little later but…heck, now seems as good a time as any…"You know…" Obito breathes seductively into her ear. "You missed earlier today…" 

*** *** *** 

"If someone other than my parents needs to cook…it's usually me…Obito is just hopeless…I mean, it's not so much that he can't cook…just the fact that he gets distracted too easily and forgets that he's got something on the stove…he isn't allowed to touch the stove or the oven now…not since he set the kitchen on fire anyway…" Ai explains whilst shaking her head. 

'Oh God…' Yoichi throws his head back and laughs. That so seemed like something Obito would do. Ai without a doubt was the more responsible of the siblings. "I can only imagine, I bet your mother threw a fit." 

*** *** *** 

Mieko is nervous. More nervous than she's ever been and she doesn't quite know what he means. "What happened earlier today…?" 

Obito chuckles, "You kissed me on the cheek…" He leans towards her ear again, "Do me a favor and close your eyes…" 

*** *** *** 

"Yeah pretty much…" Ai sighs. "It took him months to pay off the damage with his mission money…what annoyed her most was the fact that both he and my father just shrugged the whole incident off like it was nothing…" 

"Well… your parents are not two people I would expect to see married… though they do say opposites attract don't they?" He smiles at her, getting a plate of food ready and holding it out to her. 

*** *** *** 

'Close my eyes…why would he want me to close my eyes?' Mieko chews on her lip as her eyes go wide. Whatever he is going to do she has no idea but…if she doesn't close her eyes she supposes she will never find out. So she squeezes them shut as tightly as she can. 

Obito smirks a little before he tugs his mask down. One arm still wrapped securely around her waist, he brings the other to cup her face gently as he leans in to first brush his lips against her forehead…then her eye…until finally he settles his unmasked lips on hers. 

*** *** *** 

Ai accepts the plate, "A lot of people think that way, although personally, I can't see either of them being with anyone else. It caused quite a stir in the village when they first started a relationship and even now there are those who can't stop making a big deal about their age difference." Ai frowns slightly. "When I was a child, I used to hear people whispering that it would only be a matter of time before my mother either cheated or left him for a younger man." 

Yoichi frowns slightly. "People can be so absolutely thoughtless. Who's to say what makes people fall in love, but just from looking at your parents any idiot could tell they are absolutely in crazy about each other. Your mother says jump and your father says where, when, and how high…" Yoichi chuckles. "They remind me a little of my aunt and uncle come to think of it. Aunt Emi even suggests to do something and Uncle Doku is right on it. Dad says he's been henpecked since day one. Uncle Doku says he just goes with whatever she wants because she's pretty much always right. The recipe for a perfect relationship he says, 'Always let the woman think she's right even on the rare occasion she's wrong'." Yoichi grins. He's not sure he believes that himself but, he gets the idea Hana does, and who knows maybe Ai as well. 

*** *** *** 

While she was not entirely surprised that he had kissed her, the manner in which he did it, that she had not expected. She had expected something coarse and crude, something which she might actually be able to find revolting enough to slap him silly. This was not the case, and she found herself pressing her lips into his very softly. 

Obito smiles when Mieko returns the kiss. He keeps it fairly soft and gentle for a few more moments before he tries anything else…namely prodding her lips with his tongue. 

*** *** *** 

Ai laughs lightly, "None of us dare go against what my mother has to say…well, there are exceptions, but most of the time her word is law…" She pauses before continuing, "Although I may not always be right…I can safely say that I rarely am wrong." 

"Ah…" Yoichi raises a brow dramatically. "…then I suppose the question is…when you are wrong, are you able to admit it?" He winks at her. 

*** *** *** 

Mieko stiffens then slightly, half tempted to push him back. She just knows he is going to get the wrong idea if she lets him continue but she doesn't seem able to help herself, and instead she finds herself reaching up, gently fingering his hair before she feels that tongue of his again… she gets suddenly panicked and gives him a little push away. 

Obito detaches himself briefly and returns the mask to its proper place, "Too much too soon?" He chuckles. "Guess I'll have to try again later…" The masked Nin winks. 

*** *** *** 

Ai smiles and shrugs, "Depends on the circumstances…" 

"I have to admit. I would so looove to be around one day to tell you, you were wrong about something." Yoichi laughs, only half joking. 

*** *** *** 

Mieko gives him a little glare. 'Why is he always laughing at me?' She's annoyed now, she had taken that kiss to heart and it was all a joke to him, though she certainly didn't expect him to put any real feeling behind it…he couldn't even have the courtesy to take it seriously. "You can try all you want. Doesn't mean you'll succeed." She crosses her arms over her chest and huffs, looking away from him. "It's the heights… lack of oxygen making my brain go fuzzy…total lapse of judgment…if I'd been in my right mind I would have slapped you silly before letting you kiss me." Well… if she were in her right mind part were true at least… although she couldn't honestly blame it on the height. 

"If you say so…" Obito smirks before draping his arm around her shoulder. "If you're up to it…we can keep going…we aren't quite there yet…" He finds it amusing how she tries to blame her reactions on the heights. 

*** *** *** 

"Well, you better start running when you do, although my shuriken can fly faster than you can run so that act may be pointless." Ai responds with a thoughtful smile. 

"So sure about that?" Yoichi smiles sweetly then he smirks. "Oh, you don't think that was running yesterday do you? Goodness sakes girl that was a light jog…" He winks at her. 

*** *** *** 

"I think I can keep my head well enough now…yes. So long as you behave yourself." She wrinkles her nose up at him. "You pull another stunt like that kiss and honestly… I'll…I'll… I'll do something. I don't know what but when the time comes I am sure I will." She's totally unable to come up with any sort of truly cutting remark and she stomps her foot, growling. And she sighs…"Why do you have to be so frustrating? …" She lets him lead her along, his arm around her again. 'He just can't seem to keep his hands to himself…' She sighs even more deeply. And what's worse is she is really enjoying that he can't. 

Eventually after some more walking (mostly uphill)…they finally reach a large clearing and plopped in its midst is a quaint-looking tea house. An odd location for a tea-house…so secluded. However, its purpose becomes a little clearer when the patrons loom into view…Couples…Probably the only people capable of keeping this out of the way establishment in business. 

"There's a natural hot spring nearby too…" Obito winks suggestively at Mieko. 

*** *** *** 

"You haven't seen me throw a shuriken…" Ai responds calmly. "Or really fight for that matter…that bout with you was childsplay…" 

"My my you are the feisty one." Yoichi grins. "I was teasing you, silly." He taps her on the nose lightly. "Honestly I don't know if I could outrun a shuriken or not. Never had one thrown at me. Though yesterday was certainly not nearly the fastest I could run either. But is it really necessary to even want to test such things?" He looks at her seriously. "Everything in life doesn't have to be a contest…you know?" He pauses a moment as he thinks, a frown forming on his brow. "I think it's about time we get you interested in something besides fighting…" 

*** *** *** 

Mieko completely misses the wink, and the suggestive tone in Obito's voice. So intent on staring at the little teahouse... she lets out a little squeal of delight. "Ooooh. That's just too adorable. And it's so pretty up here…" Glancing around the clearing she notices how well hidden this little place is, so far up in the mountains. She can't even imagine how people could know about it. She herself would never have thought. She looks up at Obito curiously. "Why on earth would anyone put a teahouse so far out of the way…? I can't imagine why people would come all the way up here…unless…" Her eyes go huge… "The food must be amazing…" 

"Yeah, the food." Obito chuckles not bothering to explain the tea house's true purpose of serving as a couple's getaway. "Glad you like it." He himself had only ventured up here twice…most girls just aren't worth the effort… 

*** *** *** 

"Easier said than done…" Ai sighs as she allows her gaze to wander once more. 

"Oh … I don't know. I think determined as you are, if you set your mind to it… it wouldn't be as hard as you think." He finishes the last of his food then and sets the plate aside, leaning in towards her. "You are the most curious woman…isn't there 'Anything' you like besides training? Anything at all? Music…books…art…" He goes on listing anything he finds remotely appealing. 

*** *** *** 

"How did you ever find this place...all the way up here?" She lets him lead her to the teahouse. A bright smile on her face as she looks around, taking in the surroundings. "It's so lovely; I bet it's even prettier in the winter…" She looks around even more carefully. "Are there plum blossom trees here?" She is trying to picture in her mind what this place would feel like, in the winter with the snow and the pink blossoms all around. 'So very romantic that would be…' she thinks to herself. And she stiffens a little, but this is hardly romantic…well maybe for her it is but she's more than sure romance isn't on Obito's mind. 

"A friend of a friend let me know about this place…" Obito shrugs, more like he overheard it from eavesdropping on a conversation. "Plum blossom trees? I don't know…don't really pay much attention to that kind of thing." He responds with a shrug. "So…" He smiles behind his mask. "You want to just stand here and gawk at the scenery or would you like to do something else?" 

*** *** *** 

"Music…" Ai mutters. "My mother tried to get me to learn to play an instrument once, apparently I'm tone deaf so we gave up on that one. Books...well, I read." She pauses. "But mostly about ninja weaponry, techniques…you get the picture." She sighs. "Art isn't exactly my thing, there's a ninja in the village who uses ink and his artwork in his jutsu though." She trails off seeing how things were once again drifting back to the topic of fighting and jutsu. Ai frowns and thinks hard about what else she could possibly like, she'd tried collecting things, mostly weapons, so that was out. She tries thinking back further, if there was anything she used to be interested in at all before she became so focused on being a ninja. Her gaze wanders again, before halting on a small patch of color not too far off. Then she remembers. 

"Flowers!" She exclaims all of a sudden, having finally thought of something. 

"Flowers?" A slight smile crosses Yoichi's face as he looks at her questioningly. He hadn't been quite sure he heard that right. Of all the things she could have said, or he could have thought of flowers…flowers just never occurred to him. It seemed like such a 'girlish' thing. Almost too girlish for her but…he found it extremely appealing. "You like flowers do you?" He makes a mental note of that…it could be quite a useful tidbit of information, if used at the proper time. 

*** *** *** 

"Well I suppose I'm a little hungry…" She touches her stomach which is making strange little noises… "That is what you brought me up her for isn't it? The teahouse?" 

"Yeah, the tea house." Obito chuckles. Not to mention the seclusion…privacy…the intimate atmosphere. "Shall we?" He muses as he retracts his arm from her shoulder only to offer it to her…had it not perhaps been for the noticeable smirk (despite the mask) on his face…the gesture would have almost seemed like that of a proper gentleman. 

*** *** *** 

"I…well…I mean." Ai shifts uncomfortably, embarrassed by her earlier outburst. "When I was still at the academy…I used to take flower arranging classes with the other girls…" She explains a little shyly. "It…was nice." 

"At the risk of you smacking me…I have to say…you look quite pretty when you get embarrassed. And flower arranging…that's a very pleasant surprise. I knew there had to be a little bit of a 'girly girl' hiding in there somewhere." As he looks at her he can't help but think to himself how honestly he thought that. She was quite pretty when she was looking so shy, and while it wasn't obvious… he did like that there was a bit of a girly girl hiding behind that tomboyish exterior of hers. 

One of those things his father had found so appealing about his mother was that 'shyness'. He gets up then and holds his hand out to her grinning. "Why don't we just go ahead and pick some of those flowers then?" He nods toward the patch of wildflowers in the distance. "I'll bet we could gather enough make something really pretty for the table." 

*** *** *** 

Mieko giggles and takes his arm, wondering how he can be so infuriating one minute and so charming the next. "Yes, we shall Obito-san." 

The masked Nin smiles and leads her in…quite purposefully to a little table in the back…nice and private. 

*** *** *** 

Ai does not appreciate the 'girly girl' comment…she had always considered herself a far cry from girly…but luckily for Yoichi her mind is still stuck on 'you look pretty'. Caught in her somewhat dazed state…she accepts Yoichi's hand without really thinking about it…while she uses her free hand to nervously play with her hair. "I don't know if I even still remember the things I was taught…" She says softly. "It was such a long time ago…" 

"I'm sure you will." He gives her hand a little squeeze. "If you really enjoyed it that much I'm sure it will all come back to you… I'm quite sure once you learn something you don't forget it. You're far too clever a girl." But he can't help thinking to himself…'This is weird…I swear if any of the guys back home found out I was picking flowers with a girl…' Then he grins to himself. '…not to mention one that kicked my a**…' 

*** *** *** 

Mieko wrinkles her nose slightly as she looks down at her menu. It just had to be a corner table, though why she was so surprised by that when she should have expected it. Feeling a little flustered she closes her menu and looks over at him. "Order something for me will you? I really have no idea what I'm in the mood for at the moment…" And she doesn't though whatever she is in the mood for she is pretty sure has nothing to do with food as she thinks back to how he had just kissed her. And she could almost kick herself for stopping him. 

"Alright…" Obito shrugs and gives the menu a quick look over. "How hungry are you exactly?" He returns his gaze again to the menu to take in the various options presented to him…if he could get away with it…definitely something 'entertaining'…although he notes that Mieko seems capable of making all foods she consumes 'entertaining' in some way…. 

*** *** *** 

Reluctantly…Ai approaches the wild flowers alongside Yoichi…who still has a hold on her hand…she reddens slightly when she realizes and withdraws it quickly but not too suddenly that she might offend him…she then kneels before the flowers and takes a good look at each of them…murmuring the various names and properties to herself, recalled from lessons learned years ago… 

"How about…" Yoichi begins picking some flowers himself that just appeal to him. Names he doesn't know and he doesn't really particularly care what they are. And he looks over and smiles at her, taking one particularly pretty bloom and lightly brushing her cheek with it before handing it to her. "…How about you just make something pretty?" 

*** *** *** 

Suddenly she's not feeling all that hungry. Her stomach is playing funny tricks on her and twisting her all around. She had been hungry when they'd first walked in… 'What's wrong with me…' she frowns slightly. "Just something small please. I don't think I'm as hungry as I thought I was…' she pauses blushing slightly as she thinks to herself. 'At least not for food…' She tenses then…"I did not just think that…" She bites her lip as she thinks aloud. 

"What did you not just think?" Obito smirks as he casually leans his chin on a hand…looking at her expectantly. "Care to share that information?" He teases and under the table he lets his foot 'accidentally' brush up against Mieko's leg. 

*** *** *** 

Ai blinks…sometimes…as she had discovered for herself…it was best to abandon thoughts on what you had learned and just allow your intuition to be your guide…and this seemed to be one of those moments… 

"I'll try my best…" She smiles at Yoichi as she looks down at the flower he had handed her…before she starts picking some herself…Ai definitely feels more confident than she had before… 

"I have to tell you… this is an absolute first for me. Never pictured myself in a field picking flowers with anyone." He chuckles. "Something about it is so … so emasculating about it. Or at least it should be." So far these past two days he'd managed to thrashed pretty soundly by this tiny little thing, he'd actually went through the effort of cooking and preparing a picnic for them ( sure he had a little help but still…) and now here he was picking flowers. 'Yup… I should definitely be feeling like a wuss right now.' Yet somehow… he didn't and he was enjoying himself more with this girl than he'd ever with anyone before. 

*** *** *** 

Taking in a deep nervous breath, Mieko feels his foot 'accidentally' brush up her leg. Just like his arm had brushed up against hers 'accidentally' before. By now she had come to the conclusion nothing he was doing to her was an accident. And as much as she tried to tell herself otherwise she was falling for every move, and she knew it. "You know absolutely how to put a girl at a disadvantage don't you?" Nervously she tucks her hair behind her ears as she looks up at him, staring quite hard as she resists the urge to reach over and pull down that mask of his. She wonders so much what he looks like behind it. And she wonders if any girl has ever actually seen his face. It makes her a little sick to think that anyone had. She does however reach over and finger his brow gently. "You don't let anyone see you, do you?" It's more a statement than a question, and she is hoping it's not just her he hides his face from. Then, after a moment of hesitation, she slips her foot from her slipper and very lightly caresses the inside of his calf with her toes. Blushing even more as she does but she refuses to look away from him as she waits for her answer. 

Obito is surprised…he hadn't exactly expected Mieko to respond in kind…but it is a pleasant surprise nonetheless. "Hmmm…and why so interested to know if anyone has seen my face…Mieko-chan?" He smirks. "Would it bother you if I said 'yes'?" 

*** *** *** 

"…You don't have to pick flowers with me…" Ai responds softly…she isn't sure if Yoichi really does want to pick flowers with her or is just doing it to be nice…she hopes for the former… 

"Do I strike you as the sort of guy does something he doesn't want to?" He chuckles. "Although…you breathe a word of this to anyone…" He tries to think of something to threaten her with, he certainly can't threaten to kill her because the odds on that were in her favor. Then it hits him. "I'll tell everyone you secretly like wearing dresses." He winks. 

*** *** *** 

"It's none of my business who sees your face." She blushes a little then pulls her hand back, as well as her foot as she slips it back into her shoe. "I was just curious." She fingers the napkin in front of her for a moment, feeling a little silly just then. It would bother her, but she didn't feel it made sense to say so. 

"No." Obito responds then. "I don't let them see my face…" Then he smirks as he rests his hand on Mieko's. "You want to see my face, don't you?...After all, you've already seen so much more…" 

*** *** *** 

Ai gives him a flat look, "Then I'd be forced to break your jaw…" Quickly replaced with a smile. "And we wouldn't want that now, would we?" 

"Of course not." Yoichi smiles. "Then I'd look ugly. Well…" He thinks a moment. "I doubt even a broken jaw could make me look ugly but…" He kneels down beside her, picking a few flowers before looking at her seriously. He'd never had to put so much thought into this…never before and he wasn't entirely sure she wouldn't break his jaw for what he was going to do next but… "It would make it pretty hard to kiss you now, wouldn't it?" Very carefully he watches her expression as he leans in and gives her a soft kiss, barely a peck on just the corner of her mouth. 

*** *** *** 

"Yes I do…want to see your face." She says slowly as she looks down at his hand covering hers. "But you can't tell me I'm the only girl who has ever been curious what you look like beneath that mask." Her face turns red then. "And you just aren't going to let me forget about the so much more part are you?" She shakes her head slowly. "Though I'm sure plenty other girls have seen …that…too." Even saying that made her stomach twist. But she couldn't understand…"How can you not care if someone …sees you like that…" She blushes. "But you won't let anyone see your face?" 

"It's not like I've got anything to be ashamed of…" Obito chuckles and looks thoughtful as he briefly considers how to answer her question. "A matter of pride I suppose…hardly anyone's seen my face…and I kind of like keeping something a mystery…" He pauses. "You weren't expecting a 'deeper' reason I hope…" He then shrugs. "But who knows…you might just get lucky and catch a glimpse…" He snakes his hand up a little further, running his thumb along her wrist. 

*** *** *** 

Ai doesn't know how to respond…her eyes wide, her face on fire, it's suddenly become much harder to breathe and her heart's palpitating fiercely. She drops the flowers she had been holding as she instinctively raises her hand as if to strike him but…no, she does the unthinkable…she runs away! Ai, one of Konoha's most promising kunoichi who has never backed down from a fight or mission before…runs from what could barely be described a kiss. 

Part of her wonders why on earth she's running and not doing what she ought to be which would be beating Yoichi to a senseless pulp…but what disturbs her more is the thought that had flickered across her mind when Yoichi had kissed her however...chaste it was… 

'If only the mask wasn't in the way…' 

"Okay…" Yoichi smiles to himself as he watches her run. "…not quite the reaction I had been hoping for… All the girls he had ever kissed not one had ever run away on him. 'But at least she left me in one piece.' He rubs his jaw lightly thinking how nice it was that she hadn't broken it after all. 'Yup…she likes me. Most definitely.' He smirks. Now…he wondered. 'How do I ever get close enough to try it again?' The grin widens. This was going to be a challenge. He just knew it, but he had a feeling she was well worth whatever effort he had to put out. 

*** *** *** 

She watches as he touches her wrist. 'How can just someone's thumb make me feel…' Her skin is heating up, she has no idea how he can keep making her feel so much without half trying. This table…this corner… everything is feeling so suddenly confining to her. And she's not very much caring for the fact that he's across the table from her at the moment. She wishes…'God Mieko how can you want him to be next to you.' She closes her eyes and lets out a little sigh before looking at him again, with very gentle eyes. "Obito-san…I know you brought me up here…all this way to show me this teahouse…but I'm really not all that hungry for food at the moment." 

"Oh?" Obito tilts his head slightly. "And what would you be 'hungry' for at the moment…Mieko-chan?" His hand remains where it is…and he does not stop stroking her wrist. 

*** *** *** 

Ai is breathing hard although she's not entirely sure it's from the running. She has sought refuge in the branches of a tree…where she is for the moment perched with her back resting against the trunk. 

"Stupid!" She scolds herself. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" She shouldn't have run! What on earth would Yoichi think of her now? Why is she even worried about that?! She isn't supposed to give a damn about it and yet she does. Ai sighs and pulls her legs up close to her chest as she wraps her arms around her knees… 

Yoichi has been waiting in the same spot for a while. He had seen where she had run off to and he'd expected her to come back. But she hadn't and he was a little worried. He really hadn't meant to scare her, or put her off. At first he thought her reaction was funny, running from such a harmless little kiss. He was pretty sure she couldn't be repulsed by him, but maybe the entire thought of kissing someone. It hadn't really occurred to him before but…he smacks himself in the head. All that talk of not wanting any distraction…no boys…'Idiot…I bet that was her first kiss…' Not that it was a real kiss but maybe to her it counted. He got to his feet then heading off in the direction she had run. She couldn't have gotten that far, and even if she had it wouldn't take him long to catch up with her. 

*** *** *** 

'Is this ever awkward…' Mieko wants to look everywhere but at him right now. "About that whole…not hungry for food thing…" After saying it she pulls her hand away from him and takes a deep breath. "Never mind, forget I even said that you must think I am an absolute idiot…" She holds her head in her hands a moment. "I just…you make me so crazy." She glares up at him and under the table she kicks him in the shin. Then she sighs, as she looks at him hopelessly. "I suppose now is not the time to say I wouldn't mind if you kissed me again, would it?" 

Obito raises an eyebrow, ignoring the fact that she had kicked him…then he smirks. "Anytime's the time…so…you want me to kiss you?" He leans in a little further across the table…not too difficult as it isn't a very big table…He reaches out and moves her hands away gently…while with the other he tilts her face slightly towards him. "…Tell me what it is you want…" His voice is low and breathy. 

*** *** *** 

'What am I going to do…' Ai thinks frantically. How on earth would she be able to look him in the eye after that? What if he thinks of her as some idiot now? Is he still waiting out there? Did he leave? She gasps and slaps a hand over her mouth. What if he came looking for her? 

'Calm down Ai…' She tries to reassure herself. 'Stay hidden…you won't have to confront him if he can't find you…' 

"Ai-chan?" Yoichi has been calling her name for a few minutes as he looks around for her. Knowing certainly she could not have run fast enough in such a short time to have come any further than this. He looks around carefully at the trees around him. 'She has to be someplace…' He frowns slightly. He's a little worried he took it a step too far with that kiss… though 'how a kiss like that could scare anyone…' He starts to listen. If she was a nervous about that kiss as he was suspecting she was…he felt horrible. "Ai-chan? Where are you hiding?" He starts moving again this time through the trees, looking up in them carefully. It made sense that if she wasn't on the ground… she must have gone …up. 

 

*** *** *** 

Essa was never able to completely express what she wanted, and in that sense Mieko was much like her mother. But he was there so close to her right now, certainly she couldn't say what she wanted but she touches his cheek gently, pressing her warm lips to his masked ones. That would have to be answer enough for him. And if it wasn't she didn't know what she would do. 

Obito smirks, she had initiated it, but what impresses him most is the fact that unlike some other girls, she hadn't even tried to pull his mask down. The lighting is dim so he's confident that even if someone looked over they wouldn't see much. He pulls back a little. "Keep your eyes closed for me, alright?" He has one of his hands up to his face…fingers on the edge of his mask. 

*** *** *** 

Ai tenses…she can hear him…he's getting closer…it would only be a matter of time before he finds her…she could try and make a break for it…she has the advantage of knowing the surroundings better…but chances are he'd probably catch up with her anyway…but she'd take her chances…taking a deep breath, she bursts forth from her hiding place and tries to make a run for it. 

Once she is out of hiding he catches sight of her. And it didn't take him a second to catch her. He makes no move to grab her, but instead places himself in front of her and the direction she had intended to go. He holds his hands up in surrender. "Wait, Ai-chan…Don't run." He looks at her speaking with absolute sincerity as he does. "I shouldn't have kissed you. If I'd known you would hate it that much I never would have done it." He crosses his heart then, forcing a smile even though he can't help but feel a little disappointed. "I swear I'll never do it again." 

*** *** *** 

Again Mieko squeezes her eyes shut tight. It's not easy, she wants to look but she won't even though she has the sense he is going to pull his mask down again and kiss her…she hopes. Very gently she moves her fingers along his cheek, feeling her way to his lips, tracing the outline of them very gently. "They feel nice you know?" She speaks softly, her voice shaking a bit. "Your lips..." 

"So do yours…" Obito mumurs before he closes the gap between them...springing kisses on Mieko whenever he felt like it had been fun...but there's a certain pleasure in her wanting it…asking for it…Maybe this time she wouldn't push him away… 

*** *** *** 

She knew he'd catch her…but she had hoped it would take a little longer…she can't bring herself to look at him…she's sure she's blushing…Ai mumbles something incoherently. 

"I'm sorry…?" Yoichi looks confused. "I didn't quite catch that…" 

*** *** *** 

Mieko is thinking… while yes he does look quite attractive with his hair pulled back…having it down certainly does have its advantages as she slowly fingers it. 'It's so soft..' She had liked it when she'd fingered it earlier but now… it seemed even softer. That had to be her imagination. "Do me a favor Obito…don't laugh at me when you kiss me…okay?" Getting a little impatient waiting for him she tightens her grip on the back of his hair and pulls him in biting his lower lip gently to get her point across. 

Obito resists the urge to chuckle…Mieko certainly is full of surprises today it seems…He groans slightly in response…Well maybe with her being so…eager…she'd be more open too. That's what he likes about this tea house…the waiters never come bothering you unless you actually call out to them…'Three times a charm…' he thinks as he once again tries to get his (And maybe Mieko's) tongue involved. 

*** *** *** 

"I didn't hate it!" Ai blurts out before she slaps a hand across her mouth and turns away from him. 'I can't believe I just said that…' She thinks…'What will he make of it now?!' 

Yoichi scratches the back of his head. 'She didn't hate it.' He wants to laugh but somehow this just isn't feeling very funny. "Ai-chan…" His voice is low and soft. "I really didn't mean to upset you. You just…you looked so sweet there…the way you were picking the flowers and all that…I couldn't help myself. I wanted to kiss you…" He frowns… not sure how well this is going, if he touches her and tries to get her to look at him she might very well beat him senseless…but then somehow he was getting the sense maybe she did…he was never this confused around a girl in his life and he was totally not sure what to do. In the end he decided to risk it…"Ai-chan…I really am sorry…" He puts a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Not sorry that I kissed you…just sorry that maybe I completely f***ed up on the timing." 

*** *** *** 

There comes that feeling again… just the slightest hint of his tongue and she feels the panic rise in her chest. 'No Mieko…don't you dare …" She grips his hair even more tightly refusing to let go. 

Obito is pleased. 'Progress…' She hadn't broken it off or pushed him away like those other times…now to see how long it would last…he strokes her leg with his foot again. 

*** *** *** 

Ai fidgets nervously. She wants to be angry at Yoichi…yet somehow she can't bring herself to be…"I'm sorry…" She isn't even entirely sure what she's apologizing for..."I didn't know how to react…" Ai still has her back turned to him… 

"You shouldn't be sorry for anything." He sighs, placing both hands on her shoulders and gently turning her around to face him. Very gently he smooths her cheek, then lightly taps her chin. "You're much prettier when you smile you know? Even if I can't see it." 

*** *** *** 

Mieko purrs low in her throat then before breaking the contact with his lips for just a moment as she shifts her position slightly, this table … tiny as it is just seems to be in the way and she grabs him roughly by the collar pulling him closer to her over the table. 

Obito is beginning to find the table just as irritating as Mieko is, so without interrupting the kiss, he moves it aside…no one would say anything…he'd only been there twice but he knows that this is a fairly common occurrence. With that done, he closes the distance between them and he reaches around wrapping his arm around her waist to hold her closer… 

*** *** *** 

Ai feels nervous and she hates it. It makes her feel…weak. 

"I…" She feels compelled to say something, but her mind draws a blank. How could one man dull her senses to this extent? It was infuriating. 

Yoichi isn't feeling all that sure of himself at the moment. It just gets stranger and stranger. He's done something with that kiss, he knows it. He just can't seem to figure out if it was a good or a bad thing. Although…she did say she didn't hate it. 'F*** it…' he thinks to himself and sighs. His curiosity was getting the best of him, he had his suspicions…if he was wrong more than likely he would be going home with that broken jaw she spoke of but…but if he wasn't…this was a weird feeling for him. To wonder so much what a girl was thinking. And actually be concerned about it…Very gently he traces along the edge of her mask with his fingertips, testing, waiting to see if she would slap his hand away or let him continue…he really would like to see what was under that mask, and he was very sure her lips were every bit as sweet as she was, when she wasn't beating the crap out of him. He can't help but smile as he thinks about that. 

*** *** *** 

Mieko keeps a tight hold of his collar, she hardly seems able to think, he feels so good to her. But she isn't quite ready to let him have all the control and she turns him pushing him back hard against the wall as she bites down on his lip, not so gently this time. 

Obito hadn't expected her to be this…rough…not that he's complaining…although he is by far more used to being the one in charge. He decides to push his luck a little more, letting his hand run along her hip up her waist until he allows it to settle on one of her breasts…he gives it an experimental squeeze to see how she'd react. 

*** *** *** 

Ai tenses, but does not move to stop him. Part of her is curious and wants too see what he would do next. Another part of her wants to ram her knee up to hit him where it would hurt the most, but luckily for Yoichi, she is more inclined to the former.

'Well…she hasn't hit me yet…' He takes that as a good sign…sort of. 'Nervous…why the h*** am I so f***ing nervous?' He thinks to himself. While of course he really doesn't want her to hit him, that in itself isn't what's causing the nerves. For whatever reason he found all her threats a little on the amusing side, probably because they were so serious and coming from such a sweet little thing like her. He continues on his fingers very gentle, as he slowly slips the mask down past her lips as he closes his eyes, leaning in to give her the softest of kisses on her lips. A little more than a peck...but hopefully not so much to offend her. He would hate himself if he offended her somehow. It wasn't like she was some tart back home. 'She's a really nice girl…' He thinks to himself smiling a bit as he continues on with the kiss. 

*** *** *** 

At first Mieko is so caught up in the thought of his kiss, and his tongue…'oh my gosh his tongue…' Her mind is wandering all sorts of places and none of them any good she is sure. Before it dawns on her…they're in a teahouse…'there are people…' She finds herself jolted back to reality and then she realizes… his hand… and she's shocked at herself. When she'd finally taken notice she was almost appalled. Not at him but herself…her first instinct was just to let him keep going, before she thought it through and turning quite red, she pushed back from him, keeping her eyes still closed. Now, mask or no mask would be a very bad time to look at him because she felt very guilty. "I'm sorry…" She says quietly. "I think I gave you a bad impression…I'm not really like that." She doesn't think she's like that, but then she's never felt quite this way ever before. Nothing remotely like this way. 

Obito is a little disappointed, he's convinced that had the surroundings been just a little more private she might not have stopped him so soon. "You can open your eyes again." He tells her once his mask is back in place. "…Sorry if I got carried away." Now he usually isn't one to apologize for doing something the other person clearly enjoyed, but he feels compelled to somehow. Mieko isn't like the other girls he's accustomed to being with. "Although…" He adds. "For a girl who isn't really 'like that'…it was pretty hot…" 

*** *** *** 

Ai has never been kissed before, well unless that last one counted, the sensation isn't a bad one, it is quite pleasant actually. Her eyes had remained open at first purely out of shock before she allowed them to drift shut, if only she knew what to do with her hands. She eventually tentatively rests them against Yoichi's chest but then a new thought strikes her…what does the kiss mean? Does it mean anything? Has something changed? She panics slightly and pulls away from him, quickly pulling her mask back into place… 

"Okay…" Yoichi blushes a little. He wants to smack himself. He just doesn't blush and he's been doing a heck of a lot of that today. "Feel free to smack me if I was out of line doing that…" Then he laughs lightly. "Not that you need my permission …I'm sure if you want to, you'll do it with or without that." 

*** *** *** 

Frustrating. Absolutely frustrating…'How is it he can manage to make everything so sound crude…? Pretty hot…' Mieko frowns a little, crossing her arms as she sulks a little, wondering if she was that horrible at kissing that it was only 'pretty hot' and not more. She for one had certainly felt like what was going on deserved much higher praise than that but… then she supposed she had stopped him when she was sure those other…'vultures' would have gone so much further. "Was I that bad of a kisser? It was only pretty hot?" Clearly she looks disappointed. "Although…" She flushes slightly. "I'm sure you're not used to being limited to just kissing either." 

Obito blinks and can't stop himself from laughing, "You're offended?" He hadn't expected that or at least not that she'd be offended for that specific reason. "No…you're not bad at all, considering that this is…" He thinks back a little. "The fifth kiss?" He eyes her a little curiously. "You know, for someone who says she's clueless, you really do know what buttons to push, which leads me to believe that Mieko-chan isn't as innocent as she wants people to believe…" He chuckles some more. "But if you're that insecure as to how good your kissing is by all means, I won't mind some more practice." The Nin winks. 

*** *** *** 

"Yoichi…" Ai's voice is very soft…almost timid. "Why did you kiss me?" She feels a little silly for asking but the answer is important to her. 

'Wow…' Yoichi is stunned. That's not a question he's ever had posed to him. And he's never much thought why he kissed anyone. He enjoyed kissing a lot…among other things. This wasn't quite the same thing though. 'Most definitely not the same thing…' If anyone else had asked him that question he would have shrugged it off, it would have just been because he wanted to. But he had 'wanted' to kiss Ai…and it just didn't feel like it compared in the least to how he had 'wanted' to kiss other girls. His heart is beating just a little faster. 'Darn it…' He thinks to himself. He really does like this girl. She was stubborn, competitive, single-minded…and she could kick his a**. All the things he thought he 'didn't' like in a girl. But he sure as heck liked her. "Because… I like you. Maybe more than just a little. Definitely more than just a little." He says seriously. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to put any moves on you. I know you aren't that kind of girl. And I really would like to get to know you a lot better. At whatever speed you're comfortable with…" He frowns slightly as he gets a sick little feeling in his stomach. He maybe very well have said too much, and she might not even like him in the least. It could just be that she was caught off guard. "…that is if you're interested in getting to know me better too." 

*** *** *** 

'Kissing practice…' She thinks. A chill ran through her even just thinking about it and she looks up at him smiling a little. "I don't think I would mind that…just kissing. Nothing else…okay?" Though even as she says the nothing else, she isn't so sure she wouldn't mind a little more either. "But I warn you…" She frowns poking him in the chest with her finger. "I won't be satisfied until you can honestly say I kiss better than anyone you know." 

"I think I can deal with that." Obito responds. "We can practice for as long as it takes…" He smirks. "So, you sure you're not hungry? Because I'm all for taking the practice to another location." 

*** *** *** 

Ai's heart is beating at a speed normally only reached when she spars with Midori. Why did emotions have to be so confusing? 

"You like me?" She repeats before asking the next most pressing question on her mind. "…Are there any other girls that you 'like' too?" The Yoichi she had seen is very sweet but she knows about his 'tendencies' while not as bad as Obito, he certainly is far more experienced. A lot more so than any of the boys who had ever dared approach her. For all she knows, he may have said the same thing to another girl back home, a thought that really seems to bother her and the fact that it bothers her only bothers her more. 

'Oh boy what a question…' He can't help but laugh a little. But again it's not a funny question and he frowns slightly. He certainly can't lie to her, that would just be wrong. But he's not entirely sure what she'll think of the truth. "I guess I'd have to say …I like plenty of girls just fine but…I can't say I really take any of them all that seriously. It's not like I ever go places with them or anything. You know what I mean?" He frowns, doing it never seemed that bad but talking about it, he has to admit it sounds pretty lousy. " It's not like…" He scratches the back of his neck, trying to think how to word it so it won't sound too awful, but there really is no way to sugarcoat it. "It's not like I care what they think, and frankly I don't think they care too much what I think either. " He looks at Ai seriously. "I have never talked to a girl like I've talked with you these last couple days… or listened for that matter. Conversation doesn't usually seem to be much of a priority." He leans back against a tree then and smiles shaking his head. "And for the record…even though I've never babbled on and on to anyone the way I have to you, I can't imagine anyone else I'd rather be babbling on and on to." 

*** *** *** 

Mieko thinks a minute, as she touches her still warm cheeks. She really does feel a little hungry but it's not an overwhelming feeling. But she isn't so sure she can stand to sit in the teahouse any longer. At the moment she's afraid she might pounce on Obito at any second she wants to kiss him again so badly. She looks up at him hopefully, "Do you think maybe we could get something to take out?" 

"Sure…" Obito smiles as he calls a waiter over to give him his request… 

Moments later, Obito has one arm around Mieko's waist and a bag in the other as they exit the tea house. "Remember that natural hot spring I mentioned that was nearby? We'll have lots of privacy there…" Mostly because while it was nearby it was a bit of a pain to get there…for non-Ninjas at least. 

*** *** *** 

It's not the best answer Ai could have hoped for, but it's a satisfactory one. 

"Alright…" She responds quietly. "I would not mind getting to know you more for the time that you have remaining in Konoha…" 

Somehow that didn't sound so good. He had been trying to avoid the thought that they would be leaving at the end of the next week. He takes her hand then, very gently. "Why don't we go back to those flowers? I saw some really pretty ones…" 

*** *** *** 

Mieko looks down at her clothes frowning slightly. "I can hardly go in a hot spring like this…" Then she reaches across into the bag and plucks a meat bun, from inside biting it in half and offering up the other half to Obito as she licks her fingers. "Bite?" 

"No thank you…" Obito passes on the offer before he looks at her somewhat mischievously, "Well, sure you can't go into a hot spring with your clothes on…" He trails off suggestively. "However, my intentions weren't so much to go into the hot spring…" 'At least not yet.' He thinks. "It's just that it's a little more secluded and it's got atmosphere…" 

*** *** *** 

Ai nods, "Alright…" Her thoughts and emotions are in turmoil and she struggles to grasp a full understanding of it, does this mean she 'likes' Yoichi? She likes spending time with him she'll admit that much to herself. 'But he's not a ninja and he doesn't even live in Konoha.' All factors that have seemed to simplify and complicate the situation at the same time. The fact that he does live somewhere else could work in her favor once he left there'd be no more distractions and life would return to being the way it was. She could go back to focusing her full attention on becoming a great ninja and yet the idea does not seem to thrill her as much as it should have. 'But the success-rates of long distance relationships aren't particularly high either.' She thinks, relationship, just what kind of relationship do they even have? Before the kiss, she would have called him a friendly acquaintance, maybe even a friend, but did the kiss really change anything? Ai could hardly describe him as being her boyfriend that was just taking it a step too far. In the end she just sighs and decides that the answer is inconclusive and just leaves it at that. For now, she has flowers to pick. 

Yoichi grins as he holds an armful of flowers, keeping tight hold of Ai's hand with his free one as they make their way back to the house. "If you can't make something beautiful for the table with all these…well…I'll be shocked." They are beautiful flowers, he has to admit that. And Ai seems to have a good eye for color, he doubts once she gets into it, it will take her any time at all to make something of them. 

*** *** *** 

"Atmosphere…" She shakes her head slowly looking up at him, a little flutter tickling her stomach. "You don't strike me as one to worry much about atmosphere." Then she looks straight ahead crossing her arms across her chest and sighing. "And I doubt those…those…vultures of yours do either." She chews the inside of her lip a little. "I suppose you've brought them up here too…" 

Obito finds Mieko's obvious jealousy a little amusing. "Well, I won't lie to you. I've brought two girls up here before, but never to the hot spring." Mostly because they couldn't wait long enough to get there, but he leaves that part unsaid. "Do you want me to take you there?" 

*** *** *** 

Ai doesn't mind holding hands with Yoichi so much but she gets increasingly nervous as they get closer to the house and make their way through the village, she notices the strange looks she's getting. After all, she is somewhat known for abstaining from involving herself with men and here she is the kunoichi who had turned down (violently) any advances made on her, holding hands with a stranger bearing an armful of flowers… 

Yoichi gives her hand a reassuring squeeze; even he can see how people are staring. "It could be worse…you may be holding my hand but…" He leans in and whispers in her ear, laughing a little. "I'm the guy holding an armful of flowers." Though he himself is just a little concerned just how does that look for him. 'Flowers…gah…I just had to hold the flowers…' 

*** *** *** 

"I would like you to…yes." She smiles up at him. One thing she has in common with her brother…, "I love the water. Something very peaceful and calming about it, don't you think? I wonder sometimes if that's why it's so hard for me to want to get out of the bath." 

Tempted, Obito is so tempted to add something to that, and he does, "…You sure that's the only reason?" He chuckles before he stops walking. "Hmmm, we could get there much faster if…" He smirks at Mieko. "Maybe you want to hold onto me a little tighter this time around." 

*** *** *** 

The comment makes Ai smile. "Thank you." She whispers and squeezes his hand back. 

*** *** *** 

"Kakashi, I never thought I'd say it, but you're being ridiculous…" Hana sighs as her husband continues to pace and stare out the kitchen window occasionally. 

"You never know Hana, that guy could be up to no good, I knew I should have had them followed." He gives Hana a pointed look, she had made sure he was too preoccupied with other things that morning to even think about it. 

"You're being paranoid Kakashi, trust your daughter." Hana smiles and rolls her eyes. 

"I have to be paranoid. I'm a ninja and father to a very lovely young woman who could be being seduced by some demon-blooded Casanova as we speak!" 

Hana just shakes her head, "You remember what Ai did to those three young men, right?" 

"…Yes." 

"Well, then calm down, she's a sensible girl. Besides she won't even let a boy touch her and usually breaks his hand if he does." 

Kakashi sighs as he stops his pacing, "I just can't help but worry." 

"And that's what makes you a good father." Hana responds wrapping her arms around his waist. 

*** *** *** 

Yoichi grins as he pulls Ai to a stop as they reach the front door. "You know, this is normally where the guy is supposed to say goodnight to the girl after walking her home. I always thought it was a touch corny, but I certainly wouldn't be opposed if you allowed me to give you goodnight kiss on the doorstep anyway." He leans in a little, gently fingering the edge of her mask once more. "May I?" 

*** *** *** 

Mieko laughs a little. She had no idea what he meant by the comment he made to her baths but she rather liked the idea that she ought to hold onto him again. She wraps her arms around his neck, and pulls his face down as if to kiss him before turning to gently tug his ear with her teeth, before tracing the edge lightly with the tip her tongue. "Promise not to drop me?" She chuckles then grabbing at the bag with one hand. "I'll hold the food." 

Obito grins, figures she'd be worried about him dropping the food, he hopes that once they've settled for 'practice' she'd use that tongue on more than just his ear. "That much I can promise you." He responds and with his arms secured around her, he's off making sure he takes care that Mieko is not harmed by any of the branches as he weaves around the trees. And before long they've arrived, and Obito sets her down gently. 

*** *** *** 

Ai blushes a little but nods her consent, "Alright…" 

This time, Yoichi doesn't close his eyes quite so soon as he very slowly pulls down her mask, smiling gently. "You know." His voice is soft. "You're even prettier than I imagined." And with that he closes his eyes as he very softly presses his lips against hers. 

*** *** *** 

Mieko is shaking a little as he sets her down, and she clutches his arm tightly with one hand and the bag of food with the other. The speed at which he moves, that alone amazes her, but while carrying her, it's very difficult to grasp. She's almost breathless as she looks up at him. "I never thought I would see a human who could move that quickly. I've no idea how you do it." She peeks into the bag then, a bright smile crossing her face as she pulls out a bun. "It looks like I didn't lose any…" 

Obito smiles, it's cute, how much attention she can give the food. "I can move even faster you know." He wouldn't bother telling her about how fast a certain green-clad trio could move. "Let me know when you're ready to start practicing." He winks and makes himself comfortable, with his back resting against the trunk of a nearby tree. 

*** *** *** 

Ai is a little better prepared for the kiss now and while her heart still thumps madly, she is no longer as nervous as she had been the first time and it's as though this time her arms move of their own accord and settle to wrap loosely around his neck. 

'This feels…nice…' She thinks. 

'This is hard…' Yoichi thinks to himself. The moment she had put her arms around his neck he'd had the impulse to press the kiss further, the urge to sneak in his tongue was almost overpowering but…he didn't want to push anything too fast on her. So he continued kissing her softly, wrapping one arm around her waist the other still awkwardly holding the flowers, and he was thinking to himself how unfair it was she had both hands free. 

*** *** *** 

Mieko settles in on the grass, deciding she very much likes this spot. It's so much cooler up here than down in the village. She likes it. She finds herself glancing now and again at the water, it looks so inviting, then to Obito who looks inviting in an entirely different way. Now and again she takes a nibble at a meat bun she has been picking at for the past few moments. "Are you sure you don't want any?" She peeks in the bag. There weren't many left and she blushes. She had eaten most of them and she felt a little guilty. "I'm through with them honestly…" She neatly folds the top of the bag closed even as she asks. She felt stupid. And she fiddles nervously with her fingers as she looks over to him again. "Would it be alright if…we practiced now?" She hadn't really wanted to have to ask and, "I know that came out sounding stupid…" She sighs and pulls her knees up to her chest, resting her chin on her knees. "…really stupid. I'm sorry if I seem so clueless." 

"Hmmm, I think it's cute." Obito winks as he settles down in front of her, reaching out to play with a strand of her hair. "Let's get started then, shall we?" He whispers breathily into her ear as he leans in closer.

*** *** *** 

Ai isn't sure for how long kisses normally go for, but for the moment she'd be content if it continued like this and when Yoichi had wrapped his arm around her… 

She doesn't know what to think anymore and at this point she couldn't really say that she cared. 

Hesitantly, Yoichi breaks slowly away from the kiss. "I suppose I should get you inside." He kisses the tip of her nose very gently before, fixing her mask back in place. Then unable to resist he kisses her again gently through the mask, before taking her by the hand. "So, shall we go in and fix up these flowers? I'm sure your parents will be surprised." 

*** *** *** 

"Anything you say Obito-san…" She gently fingers his hair, closing her eyes tight. 

Obito smirks and yanks his mask down as he kisses her a little rougher than he normally would, but she'd warmed him up plenty back at the tea house. 

*** *** *** 

"Hmmm…" Ai responds, now a little shy as she keeps her hand in his. 

"I heard the front door." Kakashi states. 

"So?" Hana finds Kakashi's edginess very amusing. 

But to say that neither of them were prepared for the sight to greet them next would be putting it gently. 

Hana resists the urge to squeal, 'Ai's holding hands with a boy! Oh how cute!' 

Kakashi gapes and resists the urge to unleash one of his many jutsu on the boy, 'Dear Kami, they're holding hands! And we all know where that leads…' An image of Ai running off to some far away place where he would never see her again to become Yoichi's mistress springs to mind. 

"Hello Kakashi-san…Hana-san…" Yoichi nods politely to them both as he and Ai enter the kitchen, smiling as he sets down the huge armful of flowers on the table. "That feels good…" Yoichi shrugs his shoulder a few times. "They were beginning to itch me, I hope there was nothing in there I was allergic to." He didn't think he was allergic to anything, but if he was now was a little too late to think about it. "Oh well..." He gives Ai a little squeeze of the hand. 

*** *** *** 

This was a little different. Nothing like how Obito had kissed her before and it was a little scarier, but still she found herself enjoying it much more than the last kiss. She didn't know that that was such a good thing but she couldn't help herself. Her fingers digging into the grass as she leans in kissing him back. A little uncertainly at first, but it didn't take her long to get into his rhythm. 

Obito smirks into the kiss when he feels her respond, but he wants her closer, so he pulls Mieko onto his lap. 'Much better.' He thinks to himself. 

*** *** *** 

"Flowers?" Hana blinks while Kakashi still is busy glaring at Yoichi's hand. 

"We picked flowers…" Ai explains quietly. 

Kakashi looks from the flowers on the table to Ai to their hands to Yoichi and back to the flowers. Well, there they were…the flowers…but he just doesn't believe that that's the whole story. 

"What else did you do, Ai-chan?" He asks with a smile on his face, however one of his eyebrows twitches dangerously. 

"We talked…and had a picnic…" 

Kakashi is about to say something else but Hana wraps her arms around him from behind and starts dragging him out of the kitchen. 

"Well you two have fun doing whatever it is you'll be doing with those flowers! Come on Kakashi! I need your help with something!" She exclaims almost too cheerfully over her husband's protests. 

*** *** *** 

Yoichi is a little amused by her parents reaction to the whole 'flower' situation. While it was more than obvious Hana didn't mind in the least, in fact in his mind it would be safe to say she was quite pleased by it all. Kakashi however, that smile…well that was a smile Yoichi was used to. He knew exactly what Kakashi was thinking, 'I'll be nice because my wife and daughter are watching but what I really want to do is rip you in pieces and hide the evidence'. Yoichi cannot help but grin and he takes a seat at the kitchen table as he helps Ai sort through the flowers putting them in separate little piles by type. He himself was partial to anything that was blue so the ones he picked all looked pretty much the same. "I would never have made a good florist I tell you. I don't think I picked a single thing that wasn't blue." He chuckles, then blushes as he laughs at himself. "Gods did that sound girly…" 

*** *** *** 

Mieko shudders as he pulls her into his lap. She hadn't expected that at all, but she liked that …that feeling. It had run all the way through her and she was feeling quite warm. Part of her wishes she were back at the house, as she suddenly feels the need to take a nice hot bath. 'A very long one…' She thinks to herself as she twines her fingers in his hair, pulling away for just a brief moment from his kiss. "You know…I do think I like your hair better this way after all." She nuzzles his ear for a brief moment before going back to practice that kissing. While she had nothing to gauge it by, she was quite sure there wasn't anyone who could do it better than he could. 

Obito is enjoying this much more than he thought he would…there seems to be a much greater thrill in having to work a little to get a girl to open up...not knowing how far he'd be able to take it before she put a stop to it…a new thought crosses his mind…she had said she wanted to practice kissing and nothing else…however she had failed to specifically tell him where he should limit the kisses to…and he smirks as he moves away from her lips to trail kisses down her neck…looking for just the right button to push… 

*** *** *** 

Ai giggles softly while she scrutinizes each blossom, "You seem to be saying and doing quite a few 'girly' things…" She pauses to glance at him and smile, "Maybe you really should consider wearing a dress." The kunoichi teases. 

Yoichi pretends to give that a good bit of consideration, sticking his leg out from underneath the table, pulling his pant leg up to his knee…"I suppose if I did…I'd have to shave but…other than that they are nice legs don't you think?" He gives Ai a little smirk. 

*** *** *** 

Breathing just a little deeper and a little heavier, Mieko shifts a little in Obito's lap. Arching her back and neck just a little. She likes that, his lips along her neck…'Why does that have to feel so good…?" A tiny little moan escapes her lip, until she realizes his lips are moving a little too low…and she panics. More for the fact that she doesn't want to stop him and a little less because she has some clue where he is going. "I thought…you promised just kissing." She clutches his hair a little tighter. 

"I am just kissing…" He chuckles against her skin having enjoyed the fact how he had directly elicited a moan from her…rather than while he was in her fantasies… "You never specified where…" She hadn't told him to stop…so he continues. 

*** *** *** 

"I've seen nicer…" Ai responds steadily with a little smile as she focuses on the flowers once again. 

Yoichi pretends to look hurt. "Well damn…you do know how to cut a man down to size…but if you think you've seen better…I'll just let you go on believing that." 

*** *** *** 

Mieko doesn't know what to do…she's not wanting him to stop but, she's not wanting him to think she is just one of those 'vultures' of his that will do anything he wants…. After a few more moments his lips start moving a little too low, and she pushes against his shoulders a little, her eyes still closed, and she's barely managing to keep from peeking at him. "That's a little more kissing than I was planning on…" Her breathing still has not slowed, and she shifts a little more in his lap. She is thinking she isn't ready for that. But…if she went by the way her body was reacting…she certainly feels ready…it's just her head is telling her different. In the end it's her body that wins this particular battle. She breathes a little deeper, realizing she had best be careful to specify from now on what exactly she wanted…kissing was a far more openly interpreted word than she had originally thought. Her eyes still closed, she carefully unties the wraps of her blouse, deciding he most likely understood what she would mean. "No further…okay?…please?" Her voice is soft and shaking just slightly. 

Obito smiles…'Success…' But he also appreciates the fact that she still has her eyes closed…Mieko probably is and will be the only girl he could trust to actually do that…with all the others he had either had to make sure it was completely dark or use a blindfold on them…they never really objected about that latter more drastic option…they seemed to find it rather kinky. 

"Alright…" Obito responds nonetheless…he can tell she's a little nervous and doesn't want to scare her off completely…after all he still has about a week to work with…He kisses her gently on the lips before he almost tenderly guides her to lie back on the grass to continue where he'd left off… 

*** *** *** 

Ai is really concentrating on what she's doing…every bloom just had to be in the right place…every stem and leaf had to be just the right length… 

'Everything she does has to be perfect…' He can't help but admire it in a way. He gets up and goes to the counter getting out two glasses from it. "You want something to drink? I'm a little thirsty myself." 

*** *** *** 

She can't stop shaking and she doesn't even recognize the noises coming from her own lips. Whatever he was doing to her was making her feel things not even remotely close to what she did in her baths. She couldn't even rationalize to herself why she was letting him do it, or why she wanted him to…and she finds her fingers playing gently with his hair. This was not at all how she pictured the day turning out. 

The sounds Mieko is making are driving Obito more than just a little crazy…and he wants to feel her skin against his…and normally he never had to ask but…Mieko just seems to be that special of a case…"Mind if I take my shirt off?" He pulls away from his ministrations just briefly. 

*** *** *** 

"Yeah…sure…" Ai responds not even taking her eyes off of her work as she frowns at a flower with some slightly bruised petals and lays it aside. 

Yoichi doesn't even bother to ask her what she wants, she's so intent on what she's doing he's certain she probably won't even notice what it is. He chuckles. Finding some, 'milk…sugar…hmm… should have figured no mango but… peach that will do.' He gets himself to work mixing up a little something. 

*** *** *** 

She hardly dares to say a word…"No…just…" She takes in a deep breath, as she tries to speak threateningly… though she isn't quite sure she manages it. "… If you take anything else off.. I swear…I'll rip it off and shove it down your throat." Even saying it she can't help herself, it just sounded so non-threatening…she giggles and covers her mouth. 

Obito chuckles in response as he makes quick work of his shirt before he moves Mieko's hand aside so he can kiss her again. He already figures that he wouldn't be getting further beyond this point…for today…but he still has until the end of the next week… 

*** *** *** 

Ai is too busy trimming a few flowers' stems down to the size she needs, she's almost even forgotten that Yoichi's in the room… 

Yoichi finishes mixing up the drink and after plopping a few ice cubes in each glass, he comes up behind Ai waving one in her face. "It's here if you want it." He grins placing it in front of her, as he goes over to have a seat and continue watching her. "That's really turning out quite nice…" He's quite impressed…'she really does have a knack for it…' 

*** *** *** 

After some time Mieko is finding herself feeling much too …'agreeable'…and she grabs him by the hair and rolls him over onto his back…planting a light kiss in the middle of his chest. "I need to cool off…no peeking!" She shoves him back on the ground hard, and without looking at him, turns her back to him as she wriggles out of her skirt so she is down to her panties and she makes a quick sprint to the hot springs. 'Stupid Mieko…how is a hot spring supposed to cool you off…' With that she reaches the edge testing the water with her toes before wading in and diving under, a swim even in the steaming water…it should still help calm her…she thinks 

'No peeking…' Obito smirks…of course he'd peeked…even if just a little…part of him wants to follow her in…but another rather wants to wait and see what happens and just how one is supposed to cool off in a hot spring is beyond him…but…damn his pants are starting to get uncomfortably tight… 

*** *** *** 

"Thank you…" Ai responds softly…she's still not quite used to all the compliments Yoichi's giving her…she thinks it only polite to sample the drink he had brought her. And she manages to do so without Yoichi seeing her face…it isn't so much that she doesn't want him to see her face…it's just something she'd gotten used to doing… 

"Oh…" She remarks...she had never quite had something like this to drink before…being a ninja the longest time she took to prepare anything to drink was for tea…everything else was just straight from the bottle or carton as she usually had little time to spare either running off for a mission or more training. 

"You like it? It really calls for mangos but… I figure peaches works too. " He takes a sip of his, raising a brow slightly. 'Yup… peaches is good too… not as good as mango but…' 

*** *** *** 

Mieko frowns a little, she had told him not to peek…whether he had or not she didn't know. Swimming still under the water she made her way to the edge of the hot springs farthest from where he was. There was a little spot she had caught sight of which she suspected might be far enough, and hidden enough that he wouldn't be able to see her. What she would do if he did she didn’t' really know, but the warm water hadn't helped anything. It had only made it worse. As she reaches the spot she finally comes up for air. Looking around carefully, noting that she can't see Obito from where she is… which would logically mean he can't see her. She finally rests back against the rocks as comfortably as she can manage with most of her body still submerged in the warm water. She decided this was as good a spot as any to take one of her baths. But she frowns slightly…something just isn't right. "Darn panties…" she mutters and slips them off beneath the water tossing them behind her, smiling…'Much better.' 

Obito's getting impatient…and knowing what Mieko seems to like doing during her baths…he's fairly certain that she'd gotten just as excited and was now taking care of it…And he could certainly use some of that himself…but…if she really was…there'd be a chance for him to actually see…and not just hear…'Steady Obito…' he thinks to himself as he groans softly. She'd probably be less than pleased if she caught him peeping on her…and it could potentially ruin any chances he might have with her…'Heh, I guess I better just not get caught.' And with that…he puts all his ninja training to use…and he is very good at remaining hidden when he wants to…he just had to make sure he could move fast enough to get back to the spot she'd left him at… 

*** *** *** 

"It's…nice." Ai responds. She really does like it…she just is never one to express herself over-enthusiastically…not like Midori. 

"Anyone ever tell you… you are a tough girl to impress?" 

*** *** *** 

It feels like forever…and Mieko still can't get where she wants to be, slow, fast, gentle…hard nothing is working and she can't understand it. As aroused as he'd made her she thought it would be that much easier…and it was just the opposite. But she's determined she'll get there before she leaves this spot. 

'Yep…watching's definitely better than listening…' Obito thinks…and the fact that she isn't aware of his presence just makes it hotter…and it isn't helping his own 'pressing needs' all too much either…maybe if he just stays careful about not making any sound he could… 

*** *** *** 

"Would you prefer it if I were easy?" Ai responds before she realizes what she had just said implies. "Um…I didn't mean that…" She blushes slightly and quickly returns to the flowers. 

"I kind of figured you didn't." Yoichi laughs. "They do say nothing worthwhile is ever easy…" He finishes the last of his drink, getting up and rinsing out the glass before coming back and giving her a quick peck on the cheek before turning toward the kitchen door. "I had a really great time with you, but there's a couple things I want to do before I call it day. You have sweet dreams tonight." He doesn't even wait for a response as he pulls the door shut behind him, wondering to himself …'Now… where to go to find what I want…" 

*** *** *** 

"It's no use…" She mutters to herself splashing her hands angrily into the water. She throws her head back then closing her eyes as she rubs her temples slightly. "What is he doing to me…?" She's never had any trouble getting to where she wants to and this is twice now she hasn't been able to. Both while thinking of him. "Does he frustrate me that much…?" She'd felt closer when he'd just been…'kissing' her. 

Obito observes that Mieko hadn't had so much luck on her end…he notes how frustrated she looks…'Heh…she wouldn't have that problem if she just let me take care of it…' 

*** *** *** 

Ai can't help but wonder just what it might be that he's gone out to do before 'calling it a day'…She'd gotten the impression that he's always been quite sincere with her…at least when discussing the more important things…a cold lump forms in the pit of her stomach…what if he really is just toying with her? What if he's gone out to…'No…' Ai takes a deep breath and shakes her head…'Yoichi wouldn't do that…' Then again…she knows Yoichi for how long? 'A few days…' She sighs. Why should it even bother her if he did go out to be with other girls…it was just a kiss…and she knows enough from what she's heard her brother say that those can be meaningless…no matter how significant it could be to the other person…Ai doesn't think Yoichi is toying with her…and she doesn't believe that he'd really go out to do such a thing…but that doesn't get rid of her doubts… 

*** *** *** 

Mieko takes in a few deep breaths, trying very hard to calm herself as she reaches back for her panties…slipping them back on beneath the water as she ducks under the water to swim her way back. She hated to go back, she wouldn't mind just staying up here for the rest of the trip…alone… with him. That was a foolish thought she knew. Nothing she'd ever read in any of those romance novels of hers ever seemed to feel this complicated. But then the male romantic interests in them were nothing like Obito either. She wondered if he might be better suited to a horror story… 

'Oh…looks like she's ready to head back.' Obito thinks and hurries to get back to his spot. Making sure to appear as though he had been waiting there all the time…instead of spying on her and…he sighs…it sure was going to be an interesting week…


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also with illustration of Obito, drawn when I was in high school...

Useless…everything just seems useless. Mieko had barely gotten a wink of sleep and finally just gave up. Grumbling into her pillow Mieko reaches for her robe…not even wanting to get up and get it but…she can't find it and she looks around the room…there on the floor in the middle of the room. 'How did it end up there…?' She sighs, though more likely than not she had kicked it sometime during the night. It wasn't as though she had slept very soundly…When she reaches the door and opens it, she covers her mouth, letting out a little squeak. A huge smile crosses her face as she sees the huge bouquet of flowers there just outside the door, she looks through them finding one with a small card, she plucks it out and reads it…her smile grows a little brighter as she looks inside the room at Ai still sleeping soundly…carefully she tucks the card right back where it came from. She wasn't sure what Ai had done but… never in her life had she known her brother to give a girl flowers before. 'Waste of good money…' that's what he had always said. 

Mieko closes the bedroom door as quietly as she can. She won't wake Ai, she'll find them soon enough on her own. But Mieko can't help but be a little disappointed, and her stomach twists a little as she heads for the bath. '…you should have known better…' For the briefest of moments she had thought they might actually be for her… 

*** *** *** 

Obito is pleased that after a few days he had made pretty quick progress with Mieko although compared to his involvement with other women this one's moving more at a snail's pace, but is proving to be whole lot more exciting despite that. Who knew that taking his time with just the one girl would turn out to be so…he can't seem to come up with the right word to describe it…but he's not complaining…at least not yet.

'Hmmm…' He smirks as he continues lying back in bed. 'I wonder if she'll be up for more practice today…Maybe I can talk her into allowing me to get out of my pants…' 

*** *** *** 

Yoichi hugs the pillow of the bed tightly. He had slept better last night than he had in a long while. And he'd actually gotten to bed at a decent time despite all the running around to find a decent flower shop in town, he knew just any old bouquet wouldn't do…it had to be something extra special and, while he had never bought flowers for a girl before he knew what he liked, and he thought after yesterday he might have some idea too of what Ai liked. He shifts a little in the bed to get comfortable. 'A few more minutes…I deserve that…' 

*** *** *** 

Today instead of her usual long bath…Mieko opts to take a quick shower. There was no point in getting herself worked up when she was fairly sure it would end just as it had the last two times she had tried. It seemed like the rest of the house was still asleep. Of course they were…the sun was barely even up yet. 'What's wrong with me…what did I think I was doing…?' She replays every moment of the previous day in her head as she gets dressed, wondering why she…she could have stopped him from going as far as he did…but instead she had actually…wanted him to…almost…actually did offer herself up to him. Well… at least the parts from waist up but still. She was embarrassed even thinking about it. She needed to take a long walk, she thought…no one around…she had to think before she did anything even more stupid than she already had. 

*** *** *** 

Ai stares at her ceiling. She noticed a little while ago that Mieko wasn't in bed, but that doesn't really concern her all that much. Yesterday she had let Yoichi kiss her. She'd accepted the fact. She had let him do it, he wouldn't have been able to otherwise. Was her resolve weakening? She had promised herself not to allow herself to get distracted until she reached her goal and right now…Yoichi is proving to be very distracting. She sighs. Ai knows what she has to do. She needs to put an end to this while she still can, but she fingers her lips lightly, 'Stop it Ai!' She reprimands herself as she rises and rummages through her clothes for her usual standard ninja gear, she _is_ a ninja. She does not have to feel obligated to dress nicely for a man, she is a strong and proud female fighter and she will be a great kunoichi! Those are her thoughts as she approaches the door to head for a shower, she'd tell Yoichi to just forget anything happened between them and it would all be the way it was, she opens the door. 'I will tell…him…to…' Ai's coherent thoughts just seem to trickle away. 

"Flowers…" She stares at them before she drops down onto her knees staring some more, she spots the small card and looks at it as her face heats up and her heartbeat quickens again. "…He got me flowers…" 

*** *** *** 

Yoichi is scratching his head as he walks out of the room, eyes half closed and in his boxers as he makes his way to the shower. He stops, noticing Ai in the hallway reading the card. "I see you got the flowers. I hope they meet with your approval." He laughs sleepily, covering his mouth as he yawns in mid-chuckle. " I had a tough time finding a flower shop." Granted… had he actually bothered to stop and ask for directions to one…it would have been much easier. " I didn't mean to rush out on you so suddenly yesterday, I just wasn't too sure how late those places stay open…" It wasn't like he'd ever bothered to actually go in one before. 

*** *** *** 

It was chillier out than she thought it would be, and she was wishing she had brought along a sweater. But she had been preoccupied with all these strange things going on in her mind… Mieko just hadn't really thought about it until she was too far now to bother to go back. In fact she wasn't all too sure where she was now. She should have known better than to walk alone , in an unfamiliar town when she hadn't been paying the least attention to where she was going. 'Oh well...eventually I'll end up back where I started… I think…' And besides…if worse came to worse she would ask someone for directions. 

*** *** *** 

"You…went out to get me flowers…" Ai says, she looks a bit stunned. That is until she realizes what he's wearing…or lack of it and hastily looks away and just barely manages to mumble a thank you. 

"Yeah well… I couldn't exactly tell you were I was going. It would have ruined the surprise." He glances down at his boxers. He hadn't really been thinking when he got out of bed and he really ought to have put on a robe but he didn't expect anyone to be up yet. The fact that she looked away so quickly, makes him grin. Maybe his legs looked better to her than she wanted to admit. He takes her by the chin, turning her back to him as he pulls down her mask very gently. Then he gives her a very soft kiss, little more than polite. "And you're very welcome Ai-chan." With that he turns and heads into the bathroom closing and locking the door behind him. 

*** *** *** 

'Okay…now I'm hungry…' Mieko hadn't thought about that either, not until her stomach had growled so loudly a passing stranger had even turned to look. And she was completely lost, and she hadn't even thought to bring her purse with her. 'You idiot Mieko…how do you let him get you like this…?' 

*** *** *** 

Ai continues to stare at the door in a bit of a daze and she sighs. She'd let him do it again and he'd called her Ai-chan too. She sighs, she'd been doing an awful lot of that lately. She may be a proud ninja but she knows when she's been defeated… 

*** *** *** 

Trying to clear her head isn't working either. Mieko finds herself a little shady spot, not entirely sure which side of town she is on but she doesn’t really care at the moment, and she's feeling a little sorry for herself. Tired, hungry and frustrated… 'What a way to start the day…' She sighs as she leans her head back against the tree closing her eyes. Maybe if she just sits there for a while it will all go away. 

*** *** *** 

Ai is in the kitchen. She had gotten through her shower and decided on something else to wear in the end. This time there was no Mieko to help her pick anything out, so she had to make due on her own. She is currently preparing the flowers for the vase and had made sure to remove the note and hide it in a secure place. 

"Hmmm…are those flowers from a certain young man?" 

Ai almost drops them, she must have really been out of it if she didn't realize her mother come in… 

"Why…would you say that, Kasan?" She asks nervously and wants to hit herself for saying something so stupid. 

Hana laughs, "It's a little obvious sweetie…and…oh my…" She goes to peer closer at her daughter's hair. "Are you wearing those hairpins I got you? The ones that you said were too flashy for a kunoichi to wear?" 

"It's nothing…" Ai tenses slightly. 

"Oh, my Ai is in love! Her first love!" Hana exclaims exuberantly. "Tell me did you two kiss yet?" 

"Okasan please!" Ai desperately tries to quiet her mother down. "Someone might hear you!" 

"Well? Did you?" 

Ai nods hesitantly. 

"Ooh, how many times?" 

Some more silence passes before Ai holds up a number of fingers to indicate the amount. "Now, please…stop talking about it…" She begs her mother…she'd just die if Yoichi walked into the kitchen while Hana ranted on about something of that nature. 

"Oh, but we need to sit down and talk about this, this is your first relationship with a boy and we need to cover all the basics…you don't want to give him too much too soon…" 

Ai flushes, "Didn't you and Tousan pretty much go all the way on the first 'date'?" 

Hana pauses thoughtfully, "We did know each other for two years before that happened…" 

*** *** *** 

Yoichi is whistling as he comes into the bedroom, giving Hansuke a whack with the wet towel. "Get your a** up already will you. You sleep another day away and Dad is going to knock you senseless." 

Hansuke only pulls the pillow over his face muttering under his breath about something the only words Yoichi can manage to make out is 'green' and 'flash' everything. Yoichi only shakes his head going over to the dresser to pick out something suitable to wear, as he notices Obito smirking in bed. He's pretty sure he's awake. But then, who knows maybe he smirks in his sleep. 

"Why the big smile Obito? You look like the cat swallowed the canary." Yoichi grins as he gives Obito a little nudge in the side with his foot. 

Obito chuckles, "Oh, just thinking about…things…" He's not about to tell Yoichi that he'd been thinking about his sister Mieko and the things they could be doing. "Do you know if the bathroom's free?"

*** *** *** 

"I mean you would want to wait before you give him that kind of access…" Hana goes on. 

"Please…please stop." Ai groans, her mother just would not stop talking about well things she honestly isn't ready to even consider doing with…the thought causes her to blush furiously. 

"Ai, you need to be prepared for everything, you never know what’s going to happen…" 

"I won't be doing any of those things so we don't have to talk about it…" 

Hana smiles, "Well, I'll always be there for you if you do need to talk about…certain things…" 

"Oh? And what might those certain things be exactly…Hana-chan?" The Copy ninja remarks from the doorway. 

"Nothing." Ai declares and gives her mother a pointed look before she goes to make herself and her parents some tea. 

Kakashi spends good amount of time looking at Ai's change in wardrobe, the hairpins, before his gaze flickers to the flowers and finally settle on his wife. 

"Explain." He states simply. 

Hana smiles, "Ai wants to look pretty for the boy who gave her these beautiful flowers…" 

Ai almost scalds herself with the hot water as she tenses noticeably. 

"Really…" Kakashi remarks with a flat expression. 

*** *** *** 

"Should be. Ai-chan is already downstairs… Dad and mother are probably still in bed…" Yoichi smirks, and likely not sleeping. "You should be good to go." Yoichi checks his hair in the mirror one last time before giving Hansuke a hard kick in the rear. "Get your butt moving already. I'll get Koemi ready." He'd promised his baby sister as soon as she was feeling better he would take her out and buy her a 'friend' for Cinnamoroll…'What a name for a stuffed animal…' he shakes his head as he head out and down the hall to get the little girl ready to go. 

And with that, Obito grabs some clothes and heads for the shower... 

*** *** *** 

"Here's your tea, Tousan…" Ai mumbles as she sets the cup down on the table where he had since taken a seat with Hana smiling at him from the opposite end. 

Kakashi gently holds his daughter's hand by the wrist to prevent her from moving away. He eyes her steadily before finally releasing her and saying, "You look nice." 

"Thank you…" Ai certainly hadn't heard that kind of compliment from her father in a long time. 

"You do realize Kakashi…" Hana starts. "Ai is only a year younger than I was when we first-" 

"Don't." Kakashi and Ai both hold a hand up. "Don't ruin the moment…" 

*** *** *** 

Yoichi comes down the stairs then with Koemi in his arms, and in Koemi's arms both Momo and Cinnamoroll. " Good morning. " He smiles brightly as he sets the little girl down in a chair and takes the one next to her. He looks up at Ai and smiles even more. " You look nice this morning Ai-chan…" He notices how she had done her hair differently…'Hair clips…' Even he is a bit surprised by that but pleasantly so. "I like your hair like that. It looks really pretty." 

Koemi leans in and whispers…quite loudly at Yoichi. "You're right Yo-yo…she is really pretty…" Koemi looks at Ai very seriously. "Did you know Yo-yo thinks your pretty?" 

Yoichi puts his hand to his head, sighing and shaking his head… but he can't help but laugh. 'Never tell a six year old anything…' 

"Oh really now?" Gojyo grins as he walks in with Essa, his arm around his wife's waist. "So Yo-yo thinks Ai-chan is pretty does he?" Gojyo gives his son a light smack in the back of the head as Essa takes a seat on the other side of Koemi. "Yo-yo just better behave himself like a proper gentleman." Gojyo gives him a look before taking a seat of his own. 

"Behave Gojyo." Essa wrinkles her nose at her husband. 

"Don't worry…I mean damn Ai-chan can kick my ass if I didn't…I'm just lucky I run faster…" He winks at Ai. 

Koemi's eyes go huge and she points accusingly at Yoichi. "Mommy…Yo-yo cursed again." 

"Yes he did Koemi-chan…" Essa looks very seriously at Yoichi though a hint of a smile forms at her lips. "You know the drill Yoichi." 

Yoichi resists the urge to chuckle himself as he holds out his hands to Koemi. "Be gentle…" 

With that Koemi gives each of his hands a good - what she considers to be - hard smack. "That's for saying bad words two times…and in front of Momo…." She glares at Yoichi and gives Momo an extra hard cuddle. 

"Ow…!" Yoichi rubs his hands pretending to be hurt. "I'll be a good boy from now on Koemi-chan. And I'll try extra hard not to swear in front of Momo." 

"What about that other bunny thing you got there. Cinnama whatsis?" Gojyo tweaks his daughter's nose. "You don't mind that he said a bad word in front of her?" 

"It's not a her Daddy…" Koemi looks at her father as if he is blind. "He's a boy. And he's a puppy. He can't understand people talk. Don't you know that?" 

Essa covers her mouth to keep from laughing as she glances around the table. "Well where on earth are Hansuke and Mieko? They should be up by now." 

"I tried to get Hansuke up…" Yoichi shrugs. "But he just kept mumbling something about a green flash…something like that. I guess Mieko is still asleep." 

Ai had been a little busy blushing about Yoichi's comments…but that last statement gets her attention. "No." she shakes her head. "Mieko isn't asleep…she was gone by the time I woke up…and…I don't remember running into her anywhere in the hallway…she must have gone out…very early…" 

"She didn't say she was going out?" Essa looks a little concerned. "It's not like this is home, she doesn't know her way around…And we don't know what the boys are like here…." 

Gojyo shrugs it off. "She'll be fine. It's a new town, and …" He nods to the window. "It's shaping up to be a gorgeous day out. She probably just wanted to take a walk before breakfast." 

"Still…" Essa frowns. "She ought to have told us she was going out. I'll have to have a talk with that girl when she gets back." 

*** *** *** 

Her stomach won't stop growling now. But she figures if she waits long enough…'maybe the house will be empty when I get back.' Wherever she is now she feels like she's safe. Safe from Obito. Because as much as she is thinking about him now…she just doesn't trust herself. And she was determined…'I'm not letting him near me today…I'm not.' She insists to herself, then her mind wanders off… if she didn't let him near her he would probably just spend the day with one of those 'vultures'. It wasn't like it mattered she supposed if she was near him or not. He had kissed her before and gone out after to do…she could only guess. That stung even just thinking about it, and she felt the sickest feeling. 'No…' She insists. 'Most definitely…he's not getting near me today.' She pulls her knees up to her chest hugging them tightly against herself as she rests her head on them. 'A nap…that's what I need … a nap.' Though the way she was feeling she guessed it was something else her body needed more. 

*** *** *** 

Finished with his shower Obito steps into the kitchen…and his gaze immediately falls on his sister…his eyes widen and he points at her, "Ai! You look like a girl!" 

Ai sighs keeping in mind that there is a young child in the room, "Ever consider that that may be due to the fact that I _am_ a girl?" 

"But why? And…are those…hey, aren't those the hairpins Kasan bought you?" He smirks. "The ones that you said were completely impractical and a needless accessory to a ninja?" 

"Stop teasing your sister, Obito…" Kakashi remarks from the table. 

"Oh, I'm not teasing her old man…" The younger Hatake chuckles as he saunters to Ai's side. "So what made you decide to look like a girl for a change…you got the hots for someone? Tell me is it a guy or a girl?" 

"Ah, Tousan let me get you some more tea…" Ai remarks calmly as she smiles brightly and 'accidentally' rams her elbow into her brother's gut as she grabs the cup from the table…and then 'accidentally' steps on his foot as she walks past him. 

"I-taii…" Obito gasps. 

"Oh, I'm sorry ni-san…" 

"No you're not…" He glares. 

"Hmmm, you're right." 

"Why you little-" 

Ai jerks her head in Koemi's direction and Obito shuts himself up. 

"We have guests you two…" Hana tries to say calmly…although there is a noticeable edge to her voice. 

"Ah, don't worry, Kasan…" Obito responds already recovered. "I doubt Ai'd be willing to take me on dressed as prettily as she is…" 

"…Excuse me?" Ai says coolly. "I'll let you know that I could still kick your…rear end into last week with my hands tied behind my back." 

"Ooh, is that a challenge, baby sister?" 

"Bring it!" 

"Enough!" Hana finally snaps. "We have guests in the house and we are going to all behave like a normal family for once!" 

"Listen to your mother kids…" Kakashi gives his input to the situation. 

Koemi's eyes go wide. She'd never actually witnessed such a scene before. And Ai…Ai saying she was going to kick her brother's …rear-end. "It's not lady-like to fight." Koemi says, her little voice squeaking in shock. "Ladies wear dresses…talk very politely… and…they cook and sew…" She tries to think of all the things that she thinks ladies are supposed to do…at least according to what she has observed growing up. But then she is only six years old and has a lot yet to learn. 

Essa smiles at Koemi. "You're quite right Koemi-chan…at least about the not fighting part. That goes for ladies and gentlemen. Especially at the kitchen table. Even Essa gives Obito and Ai a little cock of her brow, her motherly instincts kicking in a little even with them. And she knows well enough herself sometimes even when they won't listen to their own parents… 

Koemi looks up to Ai then. "Ai-chan? Yo-yo is going to buy me a friend for Cinnamoroll…" She holds up the little white puppy. "Isn't he cute?" She turns and looks at her father then. "You do know his name is Cin…na…MO…roll. Not cinna whatsis…" She looks offended as she thinks back to what her father had called her new little friend. She gives the animal an extra hard squeeze. "You hurt his feelings." 

"Well then…tell Cinna-MO-roll I'm sorry I hurt his feelings." Gojyo gives his little girl a tug on her hair and the little plush animal a pat on the head, grinning as he does. 

"Hey…" Yoichi has a little thought and he whispers in Koemi's ear… her eyes get bright and she giggles as she looks over to Ai for a second then she nods. "So what do you think?" He pulls away and winks at Koemi. 

"Ai-chan?" Koemi looks over to her, her eyes sparkling brightly, her little voice squeaking. "Are you going to come shopping with us? Yo-yo said he'll buy you a Cinnamoroll too if you want…and he's going to take us out for ice cream too." 

'Smooth…' Obito thinks…almost makes him wish he had an even younger sister he could use in a similar manner…almost. 

Oh, how mean and underhanded of Yoichi to send his little sister to ask her…how on earth could she refuse and what's worse is that there's an audience, "I'll come along…" Ai responds steadily with a small smile. "And you can tell 'Yo-yo' that he won't have to buy me a Cinnamoroll." 

"Ai's got a date…" Obito chants in a sing-song manner. 

"Tousan…may I have the permission to throw something at ni-san's big stupid head?" Ai sighs as her hand twitches slightly. 

"House-rule 21…" Kakashi responds as he continues to give Yoichi a steady look. 

"House rule 21?" Yoichi raises a brow as he looks at Kakashi just as steadily. 

'I wonder how many house rules there are,' Gojyo grins as he thinks to himself. Though he is fairly sure Obito follows few if any of them. Ai on the other hand… 'A nice girl' and he wonders if maybe his son is finally starting to settle down, at least a little. 

"Right…" Ai sighs. 

"House rule 21…Save all physical combat for the training grounds…" Hana explains as she kicks her husband's leg underneath the table to make him stop looking at Yoichi like that. 

"So…Yoichi-san…" Kakashi starts calmly. "Just what are your intentions towards my daughter…" 

"Kakashi…" Hana says warningly and kicks him a few more times. 

"Stop kicking me Hana-chan…" The masked man responds just as calmly. "A father deserves to know." 

"Honestly?" Yoichi smiles. "To take her out shopping with my baby sister…" he ruffles Koemi's hair. "Have some lunch go for some ice cream. And if I'm…darn…" He remembers to be careful not wanting to have Koemi smack his hand again. "…lucky she'll allow me to give her a goodnight kiss. Believe it or not Kakashi-san…I do know how to treat a nice girl. And that does not include what you are thinking it includes. Honestly…you two…" He looks from Kakashi to his own father. "You need to take your minds out of the gutter." He winks at his father. 

Essa sighs. "What a lovely conversation to have in front of a six-year –old." She glares at all the men around the table. "Yoichi… get me my purse, since you're going out shopping I want you to pick me up a couple things." 

"Aww… mom…" He knows exactly where this is going. 

"Don't aww mom your mother." Gojyo glares at Yoichi, giving him a smack in the head. 

"Yeah yeah…" Yoichi grumbles and gets up to go to the spare room to retrieve his mothers purse, bringing it back down to her as he drags his feet. "Here you are mother. What did you need me to pick up?" 

"I need some embroidery ribbon. I seem to have run out of French rose." She hands her son some money. "And pick out some material for Mieko will you? She was thinking of making herself a new dress when we go to dinner next week. Something special for the last evening out. I'd like to surprise her with it." 

"Oh come on mom… can't you wait till Mieko gets back and let her pick out her own? She always wants something pink. I really don't want to be …" 

"Yoichi…" Gojyo looks at his son sternly. 

"Fine… fine… I'll get dress material too." 

"I'll help you Yo-yo." Koemi tugs on Yoichi's sleeve. "I like pink too." 

Yoichi can't help but grin. "Well thank you Koemi-chan. Maybe we'll just have to pick you some out too then." And that gives Yoichi a thought…certainly couldn't hurt to pick out some blue material too. 

Ai blushes furiously…Did Yoichi really have to talk about giving her a kiss. 

Finally Obito notices just what it is that had been niggling at the back of his mind when he'd entered the kitchen, "Just where is Mieko?" 

"Out for a walk we assume." Kakashi responds. 

"On her own?" Obito is a little surprised… 

"I would assume on her own…" Gojyo frowns, raising a brow at Obito. "Why?… is there someone she ought to be out with?" He inquires a little further as he looks at Ai figuring if she had met someone the girls would probably have talked about it. "She hasn't met some guy has she? I don't want some Konoha Casanova trying to make moves on my baby girl. Sweet sixteen… never been kissed and she better damn well stay that way 'til she's married." 

*** *** *** 

She didn't know what time it was… and she didn't care. Somewhere in all the worrying she was doing Mieko had fallen asleep beneath that tree… 

*** *** *** 

Ai shakes her head in response, "Not that I know of…I mean, I'm not even really sure what Mieko's been doing the past few days since…um well, I've been out myself…" She explains a little nervously. Although she along with Kakashi cast Obito a sideways glance…if anyone could be labeled a 'Konoha Casanova' it would be him… 

"She's sixteen?" Obito's eyes widen in slight horror…that he hadn't known…or even suspected…'No wonder…' He doesn't go for them when they're that young, but Mieko sure doesn't seem like it. He'd thought her to be older, older than his sister even, never had he expected her to be younger. 'Never been kissed…' He better make sure 'daddy' doesn't find out about the heated sessions from the day before, somehow he gets the feeling that this Gojyo fellow won't be as passive aggressive as his father was being towards Yoichi… 

"Yea…" Gojyo gives Obito a little look as he reaches to light up a cigarette. "What of it?" He narrows his eyes a little as he looks him up and down. "If I were you I wouldn't even think about it, I may not be a quick as I was when I was younger but I guarantee you the demon half of me could wipe the floor with you, you try anything with my baby girl." 

"Gojyo!" Essa scolds. "Behave yourself." She gives her husband a little glare. 

"Whatever…" Gojyo gets up with his cigarette to walk outside for a smoke. He's a little more than concerned at Obito's reaction to Mieko's age. But he leans in slightly as he passes Obito, so that only he can hear. "I know your kind 'cause back in the day I was that kind, so you keep to your little tarts and far…far away from Mieko-chan." 

Obito isn't all too concerned about the threat itself, it's not the first time he'd been confronted by an angry father, although this one did give him the impression that he just might be able to follow through with his threats. "Demon half…?" He murmurs. 

Ai sighs and prays that her brother won't end up doing something stupid, she'd just hate it if he were to ruin the friendship between her parents and Gojyo and Essa and quite possibly whatever it is she might have with Yoichi. She frowns at the thought, who's to say that she and Yoichi even have anything?

"Come on Koemi-chan…" Yoichi takes the little girl by the hand. "How about we have breakfast out?" The atmosphere was getting a touch tense for his taste and he really wanted to escape it. He looks at Ai hopefully. "You know a good breakfast place around here? My treat." 

"Yes, I do…" Ai responds and she looks to her parents uncertainly. 

"Go have fun dear…" Hana smiles reassuringly. 

"…Make sure he keeps his hands to himself." 

"Kakashi!" 

"Let's go…" Ai hurriedly heads for the front door she's not sure how much more embarrassment she can take… 

"Right with ya…" Yoichi plucks Koemi up in one arm and grabs Ai by the hand as they exit the house. Once outside. "Well that was awkward…" Yoichi glances over his shoulder and breathes a sigh of relief. Glad to be outside. But he's worried too. "Ai-chan, you don't think…Obito wouldn't try anything with my sister…right? I mean even he has to know she's too young for him." But even as he says it Yoichi isn't all too sure. Mieko is a good girl, she can drive him crazy and she gets away with murder but…she's his sister…and a good girl. 

*** *** *** 

Mieko's eyes flutter open slightly. She's still sleepy but she can't help groaning as she rubs her eyes. 'I can't believe I fell asleep…' Then her stomach growls… again. 'And hungrier than before…' she wonders that there is someplace nice to get breakfast but then…it really doesn't matter since she forgot her money anyway. She leans back against the tree and sighs. 'I really need to start using my head more…' 

*** *** *** 

"I don't think so…" Ai responds, but she hesitates, none of them had ever thought he'd have a fling with a married woman either and he had…"He's got some standards…with age I mean…I don't think he'd go for someone Mieko's age…" At least she hopes so. "I'm sorry…" She sighs. "My family…they can be a little…" She trails off for lack of a suitable word. 

*** *** *** 

'Sixteen…' Obito thinks to himself…a five year age gap, not that that was so much the problem, it is just the fact that she is at such a young age that complicates it…'And just when things were going so well…' Now he isn't even really sure if he wants to continue pursuing the matter, though he'd be disappointed not to, he'd put a lot of effort into developing something with Mieko, he sighs. Things had just gotten more complicated…and he still has no idea where she is… 

*** *** *** 

Feeling a little cranky, and a little more than confused, Mieko takes in a deep breath getting up from beneath the tree as she brushes off her skirt carefully. Sitting there all day…while it seemed like a good plan…it wasn't helping her appetite any. She started wandering her way back, trying to remember the route she had taken, thought not really sure any of it seemed familiar, and she didn't really want to ask for directions, when she saw what she was pretty sure was two of Obito's little harem giving her dirty looks as she passed by. She was pretty sure she was on the complete opposite end of town…and she couldn't help but think to herself…'he must have one everywhere…' Her stomach tightened. She was annoyed at herself. Not paying the least bit of attention to where she was going, her arms crossed and staring down at the ground…until she bumped into something or someone very hard. 

*** *** *** 

Hana hadn't seemed concerned at the time but like Ai, she too is worried that Obito might get involved where he really shouldn't… 

"You don't really think, Obito would dare, do you?" She asks Kakashi once they're in the privacy of their room. 

Kakashi gives his wife a flat look, "He's Obito…he dares to do just about anything…and anyone for that matter…" 

"That really doesn't help, Kakashi…" Hana sighs in frustration. 

"We can hardly control everything he does…he's an adult now…" Kakashi points out. 

"You honestly think that that's going to stop me from trying?" Hana huffs. 

"Probably not…" Kakashi shrugs. "I give you extra credit for trying though…" 

"Kakashi…we really should be looking at this matter more seriously for once…" 

"And how do you propose we do that…" 

"…Do you even care about what the possible repercussions could be if Obito decides to get involved with a girl that age and not just any girl, no the daughter of two very dear friends! Who probably will not want be our dear friends if Obito sticks his nose where it doesn't belong!" Hana rants. 

"I don't think he'd be sticking his 'nose' in anywhere…more like his-" 

"You know what I meant, Kakashi!" 

*** *** *** 

"Gojyo…?" Essa comes outside stepping up behind her husband and wrapping her arms gently around his waist. "You're worried aren't you?" She plants a soft kiss on the back of his neck. 

Gojyo only shrugs. "I shouldn't be. Mieko is a good girl…" He frowns slightly then… as he thinks…'just like her mother…' and that hadn't stopped Essa from becoming involved with him. Gojyo knew he was no good for Essa when they had first met, things had gotten complicated really fast with them and it was a lot of tough times before everything had settled to the place where they are now. But he had loved Essa from day one…so it was different. Obito…he didn't think Obito cared about anyone but himself…and as much as he trusted his daughter…he distrusted Obito just as much if not more. 

"Yes she is Gojyo…" Essa rests her head against her husbands back as he continues smoking his cigarette, taking his free hand and gently covering her arms, still wrapped around his waist. She's trying to convince herself of it as much as Gojyo is. But Mieko had matured physically long before, and she had become well aware of how to use it to her advantage…that was until Gojyo had given her 'the talk' that Essa had been afraid to. Since then she had been the picture of modesty, and she was terrified of physical contact with any boy. She remember how Mieko had come home miserable both times she had gone on dates. With her figure and her looks everyone had assumed she was more 'advanced' and those particular boys had thought they were going to get lucky. Of course nothing had happened but…'Mieko is going to get curious sooner or later…' Essa was hoping for later. 

*** *** *** 

"…Is the word you are looking for…different?" Yoichi offers. "Because if it is, I totally understand." Yoichi sighs…and gives Ai's hand a reassuring squeeze. For now he wasn't going to worry about it. Mieko was a big girl, and he was here with Ai and Koemi and he was going to make damn sure they both had a pleasant day. "So what about this breakfast place, are we getting close? I don't know about you but I'm getting pretty hungry." He grins at Koemi and gives her nose a little nip. "So hungry I might have to nibble on that yummy looking nose of yours." 

*** *** *** 

'Stupid Mieko, pay attention.' She glances up sighing as she apologizes…"I'm sorry I wasn't looking where I was going…" 

"Oh, so this is where you are…" An all too familiar voice remarks. 'Speak of the devil…or well think…'  
Obito raises a quizzical eyebrow, "So…what exactly are you doing out here on your own?" 

*** *** *** 

Ai smiles watching Yoichi interact with his little sister is quite pleasant…'Cute.' She thinks. He may not want any of his own but she believes that he might actually be pretty good with children… 

"We're almost there…" She responds softly. 

*** *** *** 

"I was just…taking a walk." She pauses, playing nervously with the ties of her shirt. She's shivering a little, but she isn't so sure it's just from the chill in the air now. "It seemed like such a nice day and I was up early…" She's not at all sure what to say right now, but her stomach does it for her…growling quite loudly. 

"You're hungry." Obito states simply. "Didn't you have anything to eat before you went out on this 'walk'?" He sighs. "Nevermind…come on, I'll take you somewhere…I kind of need to talk to you…" 

Well that didn't sound good. And Mieko tenses a little. "If it's about yesterday…I know what you are going to say already. So.. don't worry about it okay?" She forces a bright smile, but she feels sick inside. She knew she couldn't compare to those other girls of his…"You don't need to take me anywhere and you don't need to humor me anymore…I get it." She gets up on tiptoe and kisses him gently on the cheek, before starting to walk past him. 

"Hey, wait." Obito grabs Mieko by the shoulder. "What I have to talk about is a little more than just about yesterday and I'd appreciate it if you don't just go assuming you know what's on my mind…" He sounds serious…even to his own ears… 

So far in her experience with him…Obito seems to have only one thing on his mind ever, so what else he could possibly have to say to her she doesn’t know. It's not fair how he can get her emotions so mixed up… "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have assumed anything." She pauses…"And I wouldn't mind if you got me a little something to eat…I forgot to bring my purse. I can pay you back when we get home." 

"Ah, it's fine." He shrugs. "Don't worry about it…" He instinctively reaches out to wrap his arm around Mieko's waist but catches himself just in time to pull his arm back…he had to 'clear things out' with Mieko first. "There's a little place close by…" He opts to walk by her side, hands in his pockets…keeping a respective distance. 

Mieko's voice is very quiet, "Okay…" and she nods walking alongside him, her arms wrapped around her waist. She feels almost ill…and she wondered that she was that horrible yesterday. She had noticed how he had pulled his hand back so quickly…and it hurt. Staring blankly down at the ground, she walks along, trying to think what she could have done that was so bad… but then she had no real experience in anything…so maybe everything she had done was completely wrong. 

"Over there…" He points to a stand…nothing fancy…nothing luxurious…but it would serve the purpose of providing them with food and a place to sit down and talk. 

Mieko nods again, following him over in complete silence as she takes a seat, her hands folded nervously on her lap. "Order me something please? Whatever they have that tastes good. It doesn’t matter what…" 

Obito places the order and ponders whether he should wait to talk until after Mieko's had something to eat or if he should go ahead with it now…but he had never been too good with patience… 

"Mieko-chan…" He starts. "…I'd just like to say that…well, as much as I've enjoyed...spending time with you as such…and as much as I'd like to spend more 'quality time' together like we did yesterday…" He frowns at how strange he thinks he sounds. "There's a little problem…" 

"Please get to the point Obito." Mieko looks up at him, her eyes very gentle, swallowing hard. " Don't sugarcoat it…just say what you mean and get it over with…okay?" She didn't think she could take hearing what he had to say, but she wasn't too good with wondering about it either. That short little walk to the stand… it was agonizing, and she felt…she didn't know what she felt exactly but it was a scary feeling. 

Obito sighs, "You're sixteen and I didn't know that until your father mentioned it this morning. That and that he'd wipe the floor with me if I tried anything with you…" He pauses. "It's…I mean, I'm twenty-one…and I don't know if you really know just who and what it is you might be getting involved with here…" He looks at her seriously. "I can't make you any promises…" 

Mieko looks at him a little surprised…'That was what he wanted to talk about…?' She closes her eyes and takes in a deep breath. While it wasn't exactly romantic, something about it was not so horrible. "I know enough, I'm not blind Obito…" She looks at him seriously. "I know what you do with all those girls…those ones from the other day…" She blushes slightly and shrugs. "And I knew after you kissed me the other day…I know what you went off to do with one of them. I won't lie…that bothered me. I didn't like the idea of you…being with someone else after kissing me…you can call it stupid jealousy if you want…but…that's how I felt." For a moment she looks down at her fingers, playing nervously with one fingernail. " I don't know why you make me so crazy exactly but, I enjoyed being with you yesterday…and I enjoyed the way you touched me the night before…and all the times you kissed me…" She looks up at him seriously then. "I don't expect any promises…I kind of figure that's just not you…" She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "I know I'm babbling…" She sighs, "This is just more than I'm used to…the last two guys that even tried to kiss me…I knocked them both silly…and in comparison…they were…'nice' boys. You said yourself you were anything but nice…and I still…want to be with you. Tell me… that's crazy right?" If she could she would just blame it on hormones. "You know…please feel free to shut me up at any moment before I make a complete fool out of myself." 

Obito takes a deep breath, 'Dear Kami she's willing…Get a hold of yourself Obito…she might sound like she knows what she's getting into but it's still going to look like you taking advantage of her…' 

"I see…" He responds for lack of something better to say, and when the plates are set in front of them... "Oh, look the food's here!" He exclaims with some relief,however he knows that that is a small distraction at best. "Well, it might be a little crazy but…you're not the first girl who's chosen to ignore their common sense and get involved with me and…thank you for being so honest with me." Normally if girls told him this kind of thing about how much they liked being with him and all he doesn't usually pay it any mind, but he's sure that for Mieko it must've been a little harder to deal with and talk about. 

'The food is here?…' Mieko's jaw drops slightly. That was just not…right coming out of his mouth and suddenly she is a bit annoyed. "I spill my guts out to you and …Oh, look the food's here?!" She reaches across the table and pulls him across it by the collar, the crimson flecks in her eyes glittering as she glares at him coolly. "Let's make one thing clear here and now…you…you…pervert you. I am nothing like those other girls and you had better get that straight before we go any further." And not really caring if anyone sees or not she kisses him hard on the lips. 

Obito's eyes are wide open, and he is a little amazed by how often she had managed to surprise him and he's decided that unpredictability is definitely sexy…and…Kami he wants that mask out of the way so badly. With a little bit of effort, he pries himself out of Mieko's grasp. "I know you're not like the other girls, Mieko-chan…" He grins as he rests his forehead against hers. "None of them have ever been quite so capable to get me to spend more than a day with them…and…if you're really sure about getting involved with me…then…" He glances at the food. "Maybe we could get this to go?" 

"Only if you think you can find some way to warm me up." Mieko sighs nuzzling his nose lightly before tilting her head to nip at his lip through the mask. "I seem to have forgotten my sweater…" 

*** *** *** 

"So … tummy all full now?" Yoichi tickles Koemi's sides before placing her on the ground and taking her tightly by the hand. 

"Mmmhmmm." Koemi nods. " Can we go get ice cream now?" 

Yoichi raises a brow, the corners of his lips twitching. "You just said your tummy was full." 

"It is. It's full of breakfast…not full of ice cream." She looks up at him very seriously. 

"Ahh… I see well then that’s a totally different thing. I should have realized." He glances at Ai, reaching for her hand. " I suppose we'll have to ask our tour guide Ai-chan where the nearest stand is." 

"I know just the place…" She smiles in response as she takes his hand in hers this time. "It's by one of the parks...and if memory serves me correctly, there should be a playground there too…" 

*** *** *** 

"That can be arranged…" Obito chuckles as he wraps both his arms around her waist to pull her in closer. 

The vendor just rolls his eyes as he hands them the bagged food. "Kids these days…" He mutters under his breath. 

Mieko giggles, "Carry me again?" After yesterday…she had decided she quite liked when he carried her. "I don't care where. I love how you can move so fast carrying me…" She grabs the bag of food, holding it tightly. "I think it's sexy…" She runs a finger along the waist of his pants, tickling slightly at his stomach. 

*** *** *** 

"Oooooh a playground?" Koemi is excited, she'd been a sick little girl since the morning after arriving in Konoha, and this is the first chance she has really gotten to be outside. "Are there swings? And a slide?…and monkey bars? Uncle Goku says monkey bars are best…I think so too." Koemi begins to skip along. 

"Well… as Dad would say…Uncle Goku would know plenty about monkey bars." Yoichi chuckles. He smiles over at Ai-san. "So you like ice cream?" 

"Yes…" Ai smiles back. "I know my mother loves it…and my father loves watching her eat it for some reason…" She laughs lightly and she has a very good idea why that might be. 

*** *** *** 

"…At what point did you just lose your inhibitions?" Obito muses as he picks her up. "I don't really care much for the answer as long as you don't find them again…" He winks. "Remember…hold on tight…" 

"Inhibitions?…they aren't lost…" She sighs…'temporarily misplaced perhaps…but no definitely not lost…it's just like fighting a losing battle and she knows it. "But…I'm afraid they're losing to something else…so why fight it right?" Then she thinks to herself… 'I've been a good girl for 16 years…what’s a week or so of being a little naughty' Somehow just a week or so of…losing her inhibitions with Obito…it certainly couldn't ruin her. At least she didn't think it could. "And of course I'll hold on tight…" Mieko giggles at him. "I certainly wouldn't want to drop the food…" She grips the bag tighter, pretending to misunderstand him. Kissing him once more through his mask before, wrapping her arms tightly around him. She looks at him and takes in a deep breath, just the thought of him running with her…she doesn't know why but…it's already warming her up. "So tell me…If I'm a good girl and I do hold on tight…do I get something special?" 

*** *** *** 

Yoichi only grins. "I wonder why myself…" Then he bites the inside of his lip resisting the urge to smirk as he wondered just what Ai looked like when she was…licking her ice cream. "Just behave when you eat yours young lady. You make me crazy enough as it is just looking as pretty as you do all the time." 

Ai blushes slightly a little annoyed at herself…honestly with the number of times Yoichi had told her that she is pretty she'd thought she'd have gotten used to it enough not to blush, "I always behave…" She remarks simply. 

*** *** *** 

"Hmmm…maybe…" Obito chuckles as he tightens his grip just slightly before he breaks into a run…Now to head for the closest one of his 'spots'. And he knows just the right place…one of his little 'secret' places where he'd liked to train if the training grounds just hadn't been private enough. 

'To heck with it…' Mieko clings to him with just one arm now, her fingers digging in hard, and she's feeling so much warmer. Too warm, and since she's basically laid it all out for him so to speak…she knows eventually…he's going to see her anyway…she blushes as she kisses his collar softly as she uses her free hand to pull up her skirt just enough…'no bath… but… oh well…' She nuzzles his neck and moans gently against him, trying not to wriggle too much in his arms…she certainly wouldn't want him to drop her. 

*** *** *** 

"That you do Ai-chan…that you do." Yoichi smiles. 'Damn her for being so sweet…and damn me for liking it so much.' He looks down at Koemi. "So what flavor for you young lady?" 

Koemi looks thoughtful and she has a little conversation with Momo and Cinnamoroll about it, "Peach." She says very decisively. "Momo says she wants peach." Then she wrinkles her nose thoughtfully and has another conversation with them. "But Cinnamoroll wants vanilla." 

"Ahhh I see. One peach and one vanilla coming right up." He turns then to Ai. "And for you young lady?" He winks. 

Ai thinks about it a little before she smiles and responds, "Surprise me…" 

*** *** *** 

'Oh God…' Obito can't remember that last time he'd been this turned on. And before long, they finally get there and fighting the urge to just toss her onto the ground ravish her the way he is pretty sure they both want…he sets her down carefully. "You know what to do." He tells her with his fingers resting on the edge of his mask. 

Mieko is slightly out of breath…and she looks up at him, her breathing turning heavy, and her voice is very light and teasing, a small sexy smile forming on her lips as she takes a step back. "Do I?" 

*** *** *** 

Yoichi places the ice cream order…two scoops one of vanilla and one of peach on a small cone for Koemi…and two scoops of double fudge brownie for himself and the same for Ai. "Hope you like chocolate…" He hands one cone to Ai before taking a lick of his own. "I know I sure as h…" He glances over at Koemi. She has Momo and Cinnamoroll sitting up beside her, and she is giving him a dirty look, her free hand ready to smack his as he takes a seat on the bench beside her. "…heck do." 

Ai notes the little exchange and giggles, "She has you well-trained doesn't she?" She glances around briefly before she tugs her mask down to give the ice cream an experimental lick…she doesn't recall ever having tried this particular flavor before… 

*** *** *** 

Obito groans, they hadn't even started yet and already his pants are getting to be too tight and he is no mood to be teased, no matter how hot she made it look that very moment. He grasps her by the shoulders and leans in as he starts kissing her neck through his mask. "Close your eyes…" He whispers breathily when he pauses at her ear. 

"Make me…" Her body shudders slightly. His breath on her ear is too much and even as she's trying to tease him, she closes her eyes, squeezing them shut tightly. 'So much for self control…' What little bit she thought she had seemed to have disappeared now, and she finds her hands tugging up the bottom of his shirt. 

*** *** *** 

"She's keeps me in line." Yoichi grins and ruffles the little girl's hair. "Isn't that right Koemi-chan?"  
He glances over at Ai then, just catching a glimpse of her unmasked face as she takes a lick of the ice cream. "So did I pick a good one?" 

"…It's nice." She responds simply with a little smile as she takes another lick. 

*** *** *** 

Obito is quick to lose the shirt and yanks his mask down to almost hungrily latch onto those lips of hers…and he starts to guide her to lie down on the grass as he does so…tugging at her top...he wants to feel her skin against his…his mind is in a daze…he can't remember the last time he had wanted someone so badly… 

For being so cold earlier, Mieko doesn't think it's possible to feel any warmer, and as she arches up to kiss him, she wriggles herself out of her top… pulling her lips away from his for just a brief moment as she helps him pull off her camisole. She feels like her skin is on fire. "Too hot…" She murmurs pulling him down to kiss him again. 

*** *** *** 

Koemi finishes her ice cream wiping her hands neatly on a napkin before running over to toss it in a nearby trash can. She hurries back and rests her hands on Yoichi's knees, leaning in and eyeing his ice cream closely. "Can I have some please Yo-yo?" 

Ai giggles softly…she finds the little girl's nickname for Yoichi adorable. 

*** *** *** 

Obito's hands move and roam wherever they wish, he wants to touch her to feel all of her and he doesn't care about anything right now not the fact that she is only sixteen, that her father had threatened him only an hour or two ago…none of it mattered…One of his hands finds its place running up and down one of her legs…He's sure that if she stopped him now or at any point after this…he'd just lose it… 

'He has to be able to hear it…' Mieko swears she can…her heart is beating so hard right now and it seems he isn't moving nearly as fast as she wants him to right now. His chest feels so nice…so hard and smooth, his arms feel even better. But after a few moments exploring his upper body she feels the need to go lower…her fingers trembling slightly she moves down to caress his hip and then shifts her focus to the front of his pants, one hand grazing him there before she presses her hips up into him. 

*** *** *** 

Yoichi is such a sucker for his little sister. He can't help but spoil her…luckily it's just that… spoiled but not rotten. She's a sweetheart and he watches her as she runs off to the swings, with what was left of his ice cream in hand. 

"You can have mine…" Ai offers her cone to Yoichi smiling slightly…she feels a lot more comfortable around him now…but she attributes it to the fact that his little sister is with them… 

*** *** *** 

Obito groans and his hips automatically thrust hard against her he just wants to get rid off the rest of the clothes and get straight to it. But he doesn't want to move too fast…somewhere in the back of his mind he is still aware of the fact that this is Mieko's first such experience…And pulls back briefly…he wants to see the expression on her face…he shifts slightly and allows his hand to wander up her inner thigh… 

Her leg is shaking and she can't seem to control it. And…now that he seems to have slowed…she's blushing. Her stomach tightens a little and she covers her chest with her arms, feeling suddenly very exposed and very worried. He's still touching her and his hand along the inside of her thigh, it's almost too much. Her eyes are clamped shut tight still, she wants so badly to look at his face, at least maybe then she could tell what he was thinking right now. Her chest is heaving, he couldn't have slowed the pace at a worse time, she was so desperately wanting him to continue right now just as feverishly as before. "Did I do something wrong?" 

*** *** *** 

Yoichi smiles and shakes his head. "Nah… you enjoy it." He sighs. "I must look like a sap to you huh?" He knew full well Koemi had him wrapped around her little finger. 

"I think it's very sweet…" Ai tells him sincerely about to run a hand through her hair before noting the hairpins…she just isn't used to putting things in her hair… 

*** *** *** 

"Did you do something wrong?" Obito repeats with a little chuckle. "No…I just like looking at the erotic expressions on your face…" he breathes as his hand climbs higher…finding its intended target and he returns to kissing and sucking at her neck, whilst using his other free hand to explore and massage her chest… 

"That's not fair…" she murmurs against his hair, her fingers running through it. 'I don't get to see you…' she thinks, opening her eyes for just a brief moment then closing them again. He was so busy…his lips against her neck it was not as though she were looking at his face. Just his back…those tattoos…'So very sexy.' Her fingers digging into his shoulders, her thigh moving up against his hip now. "Please…" 

*** *** *** 

Yoichi smiles, touching those hairpins…"They are very becoming on you Ai-chan. Honestly." He strokes the back of her hair. He liked that the hairpins kept her hair pulled away from her face… so at least the parts that were unmasked he could see very clearly. "You have the loveliest eyes…I can see them better with your hair pulled back like that." 

She couldn't stand it…he just keeps making her blush…and what's worse is…what she finds herself thinking…that she really wouldn't mind if Yoichi decided to kiss her now… 

*** *** *** 

"Please what, Mieko-chan…" Obito muses. "You'll have to be more specific and tell me what it is you want…" Then he adds as an afterthought. "Or show me…" 

Her face is flaming. 'Tell him…oh gosh…' She panics, her body stiffening a little. 'What words…?' She'd never said any of those things…and that talk with her father…those words had burned her ears even hearing them. She couldn't possibly say them… Her eyes squeezed shut, she thinks hard. Her body is going crazy on her…'Why did he have to be so difficult…?' Every inch of her body shaking she finally does it…"…sex Obito…I want you to have sex with me." It sounded so stupid to her own ears, and she was sure it must to his too. 'Maybe so stupid he won't even want to…' 

*** *** *** 

Every time Ai blushes, Yoichi finds himself liking her even more. There was something so appealing about how she could be so tough and straightforward…then something so simple as a comment about how pretty her eyes were… 'So sweet…' He thinks to himself. "Maybe I will have a little taste of that after all…" His voice is a little lower, and smoother than it has been with her. And he leans over as she takes a lick from the cone, and gives her a slow gentle kiss…this time taking it just a step further, teasing her lips with his tongue wondering if she will offer hers up to him….but expecting a slap in the face…'What is it about this girl…?' Ai was the only girl he'd ever met that he couldn't predict her reaction. 

Ai had wanted a kiss but not while she was off guard. And it's all a bit too sudden for her and when she feels his tongue at her lips her natural shinobi reflexes kick into gear before she can even think straight, she smashes what remains of her ice cream cone into the side of Yoichi's face. She pulls away immediately, eyes wide and covers her mouth with both hands. "I'm so sorry!" She hadn't meant to do that…her hands just…responded on their own…and she hastily tries to clean the semi-melted mess off his face with a napkin. 

*** *** *** 

"Blunt and to the point…" Obito smiles softly before he leans in to kiss Mieko deeply. "I think that's a request I'll be able to carry out…" He pulls back to rid himself of the remainder of his clothes and helps Mieko out of the rest of hers. He then goes back to kissing her whilst 'preparing' her for what is to come… 

Mieko is more than ready…at least she thinks she is, and even if she wasn't it's too late to back down from it now…but a tiny little voice in the back of her head is saying something that has been nagging at her since he'd carried her up here…she had know what was going to happen…of course one could never be positive of anything but…now that he was so close, and she pushes up at his shoulders just a little, breaking the kiss for… "Will it hurt?" She asks quietly. 

*** *** *** 

Yoichi laughs. Not a little laugh…but a real laugh and he shakes his head as he takes a napkin, helping Ai as she cleans the last of the ice cream from his face. "Don't be sorry. I thought maybe that was a step too far but…I couldn't resist trying. And besides…" He looks at her with his deep brown eyes. "I half expected you to break my jaw… so all in all… I got off easy." 

"…Alright." Ai responds quietly still a little embarrassed over what had happened. "You just…took me by surprise…" 

*** *** *** 

Well he hadn't expected that one. Obito had been with virgins before, so he knew most of the things to expect but from the way Mieko had been responding, he didn't think she'd ask. "Yes." He tells her simply. "It's going to hurt at first…" He leans down and kisses her a more gently than he had since when they first started. "But I promise to make you feel really good once the pain is gone…" Then remembering something he reaches for his discarded pants to rummage through one of the pockets. "Almost forgot…"

'A condom.' She thought…she should have known he must have carried them everywhere, her heart feels a little sick as she wonders how many he must go through in a week…Squeezing her eyes shut a little tighter, she tries to relax. She can't think about those other girls now…'pretend Mieko…pretend it's just you he wants…nobody else.' It wasn't working exactly but, if she didn't feel him soon…she thought she would burst. While he's doing that, getting himself prepared, she can't help herself as she begins touching her own chest…anything to keep her hands occupied until… 

*** *** *** 

"Well… I'll try to give you fair warning from now until you can better read the signs." Yoichi grins. 

"I appreciate that…" Ai smiles sweetly. 

*** *** *** 

"Ready?" Obito pants slightly in her ear as he positions himself hoping that she wouldn't decide to back out now… 

"If you don't shut up and do it now…" Mieko moans softly into his ear, gripping his shoulders tightly. "I won't let you…" 

That was all he needed to hear...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, since most of my fanfiction writing took place while I was still in high school, quite a bit of it lacks depth and maturity, though I've been making attempts to edit it so it isn't overly cringy.


	8. Chapter 8

Obito is looking up at his ceiling arms folded back behind his head. He can't stop thinking about the day before once he and Mieko had gotten past the initial awkward phase…there just wasn't any stopping it. They'd kept going until he'd run out of condoms and even then he is pretty sure that she would have been up for more. Probably one of the most (if not _the_ most) energetic woman he's ever been with. 

'Quick learner too…' He thinks. 'Pity I didn't have any of my books with me…' 

Obito frowns and peeks under the covers. 

'At least I don't think anyone else is awake yet, so I'll have the shower all too myself…' And with that, he grabs some clothes off the floor (he'd gone past the point of caring whether or not there were guests around…it's still his room and he can do whatever he wants to it) and sneaks out of his room as quietly as only a ninja can… 

*** *** *** 

Mieko sighs as she stares up at the ceiling. She wasn't sure how she could have let herself go so far with him. She knew Obito and her brother both looked at sex so casually. Like it was no big deal…'It is a big deal…' She closes her eyes tight as she thinks about the day before. Everything she had always been so afraid of, that she'd held back so much. She had let go and been unable to refuse him anything. And she didn't even want to refuse. She was scared, was she so much like her father after all, was she going to end up like one of those girls who…'NO!" She scolds herself. 'I'm not like them at all…' And she knew she wasn't. She didn't want just anyone, she wanted Obito. Just Obito…even though she knew she couldn't have him to herself…and it hurt. 

Careful not to wake up Ai or Koemi…she reaches for her robe as she makes her way to the door. When she opens it she sighs…'More flowers…' And her heart sinks a little more as she makes her way to the bathroom. Maybe she was no better than those other girls after all… 

*** *** *** 

Obito always removes his mask last…and even then only once he was in the tub and about to start the shower. And once the boxers are off, he goes to do just that… 

*** *** *** 

Mieko knocks lightly on the bathroom door, one hand on the knob. "Is anyone in there?" She asks quietly, not wanting to be too loud and wake anyone. It was still much too early, even for her. 

*** *** *** 

Obito hears the knock and smirks when he just manages to hear the quiet question. What to do what to do…he could either sit back and wait and let her walk in…after all he hadn't bothered locking the door…or…he could go answer it and try inviting her in. Option one sounds more appealing and he seats himself on the edge of the tub…briefly considering whether he should grab a towel to cover himself up…but decides against it. She'd already seen him and done more besides. 

After waiting a moment and hearing no response, Mieko quietly opens the door, closing it behind her…letting out a little scream as she sees Obito there, and completely…'Oh my gosh' She squeezes her eyes shut tightly throws her robe at him, or at least in his general direction she isn't quite sure she hit him with it. 

Taking in a deep breath, "You scared me…why didn't you say you were in here…?" She blushes, she still has her nightie on but…somehow…even after all that happened yesterday she feels extremely exposed…and she reaches blindly for a towel and covers her chest with it, her cheeks turning bright red. 

Obito chuckles…even after all they'd done she still got all embarrassed over seeing him naked, 'Cute.'. "I was waiting for you to come in…" He responds as he rises, ignoring the robe and letting it slide to the floor as he stands and stops before her. He leans down just enough so that his masked face just barely brushes her ear. "Hmmm…I didn't think you'd still be this embarrassed, Mieko-chan…not after all the 'naughty' things you let me do to you yesterday…" 

'Embarrassed…' Mieko sighs…she still is though why she doesn’t know. He's right after all that happened yesterday she shouldn't be… "You must think I'm such a baby…" She opens her eyes moaning slightly as she feels him so close. He isn't even touching her, just that hint against her ear…'that should be like nothing' but it definitely did something to her and already she's warming up she moves one hand to touch his hip… 

He's been with some women more than his usual one time standard…but that did not occur often enough for it to be considered a common occurrence…but right now…Obito really wouldn't mind having another go with Mieko…heck that one touch on his hip just then had certainly elicited a response from his body…Making his decision he goes to lock the door…he'd have no one else walk in on him…Before he returns to Mieko and trails masked kisses along her neck to her shoulder as he removes her hands from the towel, letting that fall to the floor before he turns his attention to her nightie next… 

She's shaking now, how he can get her so hot so fast. But she turns him grabbing him by both wrists and pinning him gently against the wall, planting soft sweet kissing along his shoulders then his neck down to his chest, and gradually lower until she is on her knees looking up at him, the look in her eyes as soft as her voice …"Why don't you tell me what you want for a change…?" 

Obito pants as he looks down at her through half-lidded eyes. How that unpredictability could excite him. He isn't exactly shy about saying what it is he wants…but he doesn't exactly want to intimidate her by perhaps asking for more than she might be ready for. "Touch me…" He tells her breathily. 

"Touch you?…" She raises a brow smiling sweetly…pretending to misunderstand as she reaches up to caress his stomach lightly with just her fingertips. "Here?" She continues traces the lines of the smooth hard muscles of his abdomen. 

He leans his head back against the wall and groans. Now she's teasing him, but he's too aroused to be in the mood to be teased…"Lower…" He jerks his hips slightly. 

"Lower?…" Mieko smirks slightly still pretending to misunderstand as she repeats Obito's comment from the previous day…word for word… "You'll have to be more specific…and tell me what it is you want…" Then she adds pretending she had an afterthought. "Or show me…" 

Obito can't help but laugh a little. "Should have seen that one coming, huh?" He reaches down, taking her hand in his…before guiding it to where he wants it most… 

"Mmmhmmm…" Mieko murmurs softly as she lets him show her just what he likes. "You know…" She says gently. "You shouldn't tease me so…not if you can't take it yourself…" She turns her attention back to him the…very lightly with the tip of her tongue…teasing him. 

He groans and just barely manages to fight the urge to thrust his hips forward. He hadn't expected that, but he sure as hell isn't about to complain. "Keep going…" He pants with his eyes screwed shut and head leaning back against the wall. 

With that Mieko pulls back and stands up, stopping everything she was doing, taking a step back from him…a coy little smile on her face as she stares at him. "Make me…" 

'She can't be serious, but damn is it ever hot…' He eyes her from the wall. "I probably could you know…but…" Moving very quickly Obito has Mieko spun around with her back to the wall. One hand pinning both her arms back by the wrists…while the other is quick to settle between her legs. "My my my…" The still masked man remarks. "I'm not the only one excited it seems…" 

Mieko gasps, then she bites her lip. She doesn't dare make so much noise now as yesterday. She hadn't thought about that when she was teasing him, but she doesn't want him to stop what he's doing either. She wriggles a little, testing him but he has her wrists firmly and he isn't letting go. He was stronger than she had thought and the more she thought the more excited she seemed to get. 

Obito starts moving his fingers a little more, watching Mieko's reactions carefully and he smirks unable to resist. "Hmmm…I wonder Mieko-chan…" He whispers into her ear. "Were you picturing me doing this to you whenever you touched yourself?" 

Mieko swallows hard, blushing uncontrollably as she looks up with him wide-eyed. "What do you mean…?" Surely he couldn't know…there was no way. 

He chuckles, "You weren't moaning very loudly, but I was still able to pick up on it…hmmm…I wonder…did I make you moan in your dreams too?" And with that being said his fingers start paying attention to a particularly sensitive spot. 

Somewhere between, blushing and moaning in pleasure at his touch Mieko growls low in her throat, and leans in to bite him hard on the chest. "Dreams? They were more like nightmares…" She glares at him, before nipping at his lip. 

"Hmmm…" He chuckles removing his hand. "I bet they still got you all worked up though…you're a bad girl Mieko-chan…" Obito teases. 

"You're just lucky…I don't want anyone to wake up…or I'd show you just how bad I could be…" Her eyes flicker slightly. 

"Oh?" Obito smiles, clearly amused by what she had said. "Is that so…care to give me a little sample?" 

"Give…? I thought we had an understanding…" She leans forward teasing his lips with her tongue before pulling back. "Anything you want today…you just try and take…" 

"Well…" He smirks. "If you won't show me how bad you can be…I just guess I'll have to show you how bad _I_ can be…" He releases her wrists and crouches down before her. "Close your eyes alright?" He tells her as one hand goes back to 'tease' her while the other rests on his mask. 

All Mieko's resolve to play bad disappears…and she blushes…every time he asks her to close her eyes…and when he touches his mask…she loses it. What is it about that that makes her suddenly give up all control…he had done it yesterday…she'd managed to tease him barely a minute…when he tells her 'close your eyes'. She takes in a deep breath doing just as he tells her. "Why can't I just say no to you…?" She whispers. 

"Because then you'd be missing out on all the fun…" He chuckles as he tugs his mask down and shifts one of Mieko's legs just slightly so he can get better access in order to give her a very 'special' kiss…and this time he doesn't hesitate to add his tongue. 

Mieko can barely stand…her legs are trembling too much…she runs her fingers through his hair as she leans back against the wall. "Obito-san…please…" She whimpers a little, then she gasps…this felt too good…how could he always get her to…she tightens her grip on his hair, not daring to let go for a moment, if he stopped now she didn't know what she would do. "Please…don't stop…" 

Obito smirks and keeps going…until he senses her getting close…then…he stops and pulls back, rising and chuckling into her ear. "That was for teasing me so much before…" 

Mieko's chest tightens. That was unbelievably cruel…she stands there…not moving. 'He did not just do that…' She keeps her eyes squeezed shut tight…waiting a moment before she turns and kneels down to reach for her robe, it's 'somewhere near the bath…' she thinks to herself and her voice turns soft and quiet and just a touch…hurt. She would never have been that cruel to him…stopping just…at such a moment. "I'll let you take your shower. I shouldn't have bothered you." 

"What? Hey, come on…" Obito reaches out and pulls her up holding her close. "Don't be like that…" 

Mieko swallows hard, her body is still shaking…she had been so close…and her voice even more quiet. "Sometimes you tease too much…" All these feelings she felt , she was so mixed up inside. All this was so new to her… 

Obito sighs and scratches his head as he thinks about it…he'd probably be pretty pissed if someone quit on him just as he was about to…"You're right…I'm sorry…Let me make it up to you?" 

She wanted so much to just leave right now. Tell him to forget everything it had been a huge mistake…that she didn't want him to touch her again…he couldn't make up for it…But would that teach him? No…he'd just go out and find one of his 'vultures' to take care of him…and where would that leave her but jealous and frustrated… "…make it up how?" She asks softly. 

"You'll see…" He tells her breathily, nipping at her ear before kissing her deeply. He breaks away just briefly to grab her robe and lay it out…followed by gently pushing her back onto it…the floor is cold…at least having the robe there would help…if only by a little…He spreads her legs slightly as he picks up where he'd left off…only that he adds his hand to stimulate her further…and this time he doesn't intend on stopping… 

"Obito…san…" She gasps…this… this was different, much different. If she thought her legs were shaking before…they were absolutely quaking now…she could barely stand it. She plays with his hair but… it doesn't seem enough, she doesn't know what to do with her hands…How can she be so aroused and so …embarrassed at the same time she doesn't know. If he stops this time she'd cry she knows it. She whimpers, and then makes a loud squeak as he hits just the right spot. She bites her lip… she has to be quiet but …he's making it so hard right now. 

He smirks…he knows full well how good he's making her feel…and he's very tempted to just stop and take her now…with his own needs feeling a little neglected. But no…he'd promised to make it up to her…and that is exactly what he intends to do. 

Mieko lays there…not moving but for the involuntary spasms she can't control. It was over but…it wouldn't stop, and she takes in several trembling breaths. Never in all the times she had taken her 'baths'… never had it felt anything like this. Or lasted so long…she reaches uncertainly… touching his chest lightly, she feels foolish now. "I'm sorry…" Her voice is trembling still, she can't control the shaking in her body and she arches up slightly. Every inch of her wants him inside… "…for being such a baby about things…" 

"You apologize for the silliest things, Mieko-chan…" Obito laughs lightly as he repositions himself…he really can't wait any longer. "Hmmm…you're going to have to try very hard to be quiet…wouldn't want to have to explain what the 'noises' are about now would we?" 

Mieko shivers, just the way he said that was so sexy…she can only nod, as she shifts a bit beneath him to make it even easier. She squeezes her eyes shut…she hadn't been quite able to get her point across earlier…the whole 'make me' thing had gone not quite how she had hoped, and even now she thought of it…maybe though if she put it differently. "Obito-san…you said I was a bad girl…" She breathes a little heavier…her fingertips caressing his chest lightly. "Don't bad girls get punished…?" 

That fluctuating mood of hers…one moment she's being all apologetic and now she wants him to punish her. "You really know how to keep a guy guessing…Alright then…bad girl…" He captures her lips with his hungrily at the same time as he thrusts roughly into her. If she wanted to be treated like a 'bad girl'…that is something he can certainly accommodate. 

There was no possible way Mieko couldn't have felt more…satisfied than she did just then. Laying back on the hard bathroom floor her mind is wandering off a million different directions. It had been so completely and utterly unromantic but… still. She sighs and smiles murmuring softly…'That was nice.' As she kisses his chest. Then something suddenly comes to her… and she squeaks almost excitedly. "I've got it! Acne!" She pushes him up and off her pointing accusingly at him. That …keeping a little mystery excuse just hasn't set well with her…she's sure there must be another reason. "That's why you have the mask…you've got acne." 

Unpredictable…but Obito can't help but laugh, "What is it with you and thinking I've got something horrible to hide under my mask?" He shakes his head in mild exasperation. "First the bad teeth and now acne…why not think that my face might just be too handsome to be seen by the likes of mere mortals?" He smirks. "But…putting that aside…maybe we should get a little cleaned up…" 

"Oh for pity's sake…you and that ego." Mieko gives him a little glare. "Nobody's that handsome." She sighs. He's right though they should get cleaned up…"Wash my back for me will you?" She smiles at him…"And the front too if you don't mind…" She scrambles to her feet and adjusts the water of the shower before stepping in…then her voice gets a little sexier, and she smirks at him slightly. "If you do I'll finish up what I started earlier." 

"With an offer like that…who on in their right mind could refuse?" Obito chuckles as steps in to join her eagerly. 'What a way to start the day…'


	9. Chapter 9

Mieko is finishing up the last details of the dress Yoichi had asked her to make for Ai. It certainly wasn't an easy task…it wasn't as though she could ask Ai to try it on so she could get it fitted just right. She frowns as she stops for a moment. Everyone was gone…Her parents had taken Hansuke and Koemi out for lunch and to do some shopping…something she needed to do herself. She wanted to be sure she brought a little something home at least for her youngest cousins, but she had opted out so she would have time to finish the dress for Ai, who Yoichi was out with again…even the thought of that made Mieko smile. She'd never imagined her brother would be so 'smitten' with anyone, much less such a truly nice girl. 

They'd be leaving the morning after tomorrow…and she was feeling a little sick. The past two weeks had gone by much too fast…and she was going to miss everyone…especially Obito. She had let things go well beyond what she knew she ought to have. And while he'd been upfront with her from the beginning…'no promises…' It still wasn't making it easy. He may have been loud, obnoxious…self centered…lots of things, but she had fallen for him and fallen hard. Where he was now she wasn't sure, and that…that made her stomach twist in knots. 'He's probably with one of those…vultures…' She sighs…"I don't know what he sees in them…such tacky dressers…" 

But she knew exactly what he saw in them. They were experienced, they did plenty of things she couldn't do she was sure of that, she frowns as she thinks back to that book of his, the night he'd shown it to her she had barely been able to look at a page. She glances at the door… "Do I dare?" She wonders to herself. Getting up to hang the dress neatly in the closet, she goes to put away her needles and thread. Taking in a deep breath, 'Two more days…' She exits Ai's bedroom and makes her way down the hall to Obito's, she remembered exactly where he had put it and it was still there. With shaking hands she takes it from its place and sits down on the edge of his bed to read, with each page turned her face becomes a new shade of pink.

*** *** *** 

"This shouldn't be so damn hard…" Obito mutters to himself. "I wonder, would she like this?" The masked shinobi scrutinizes some little figurine with wings, sparkles and lots of pink hearts…he's guessing it's supposed to be cute but judging from the way he wants to toss the thing out the window he doubts Mieko would like it… 

He sets it down with an irritated sigh…Hatake Obito just has never bought a girl a gift before (unless his mother and sister counted…) and even _he_ doesn't understand why exactly he feels compelled to get Mieko something.

"Obito?" 

The masked Nin turns his head to come face to face with the confused faces of his team-mates…was there a time when they _weren't_ together? He doesn't blame them for being confused…after all, this is hardly the kind of store he commonly sets foot in… 

"Do you have to sound so surprised?" He sighs. 

"Well, it's just…why are you here?" Ren asks. 

"I'm…getting someone a gift…" Obito shrugs in response. 

"I hope it's not for Ai, because you are way off in a place like this…" Miu points out. 

"No, it's not for Ai…are you nuts? You both know I just get her the same thing…kunai or shuriken…" 

"Well…is it something for your mother then?" Ren continues to question. 

Obito sighs before lowering his voice, "It's for this girl…she's the daughter of friends of my parents…" 

"Wait…let me get this straight…you, the established Player of Konoha…are actually going to buy a girl…a present?" Miu gapes at him…as does Ren. "And who says miracles don't happen…" She laughs. 

"Knock it off…" Obito growls before he eyes Miu in peculiar fashion. 

"Why are you looking at Miu-chan like that?" Ren inquires somewhat edgily. 

"I'm not going to steal your girlfriend, Ren…" Obito chuckles. "I just need to borrow her for a little…" And with that he grabs Miu's shoulder and steers her in front of another shelf. "So, you're a girl, you tell me what would a girl like?" 

Miu sighs and shakes her head, "I might be a girl but it's not like we all think the same way, baka…" She pauses thoughtfully. "Now on the off chance that you have actually spoken to this girl for more than two minutes…do you have any idea what she likes?" 

Obito thinks it over, "Food…she definitely likes food…but I'd prefer to give her something that would 'last'" 

"Then think harder…she's got to like more than food…" 

"Uh…she likes sewing…and…reading romance novels…" 

Miu raises her eyebrow. 

"What?" 

"Nothing…just doesn't seem like your 'type'." 

"Have you got any advice for me or not?" Obito demands somewhat irritated. 

"Yeah…don't blow it." And with that, Miu walks away to be reunited with a very anxious looking Ren. 

*** *** *** 

'This…this is way too…' Mieko can hardly stand reading it. And she can't help but notice…checkmarks on all the pages. 'Does that mean he's done all these things?' With all the things she had done with him…very few were actually in there. Most of it was beyond anything she could imagine. 'It's no wonder…' She realizes then why he likes the sort of girls he does. "They'll do anything…" she sighs. How could she ever hope to compare. As she nears the end of the book…there is one page…'No mark?' Her chest tightens, as she looks it over carefully, her cheeks are burning. It's no wonder there is no mark, she can't imagine anyone allowing…that. She closes her eyes tight. 'Two days…' She can't stop thinking she only has two more days left and she wants so desperately for him to spend them with her. 'Just maybe…' She shivers a little as she looks back at the page… 

*** *** *** 

Obito frowns…he'd gone through several stores, stalls and shops…but nothing seems to…'feel' right… 

'No wonder I don't usually buy girls gifts…it's such a damn hassle…' 

"Food…sewing…romance novels…" He keeps repeating those three things to himself in the hopes that they would give him some idea…but as of yet he's having very little luck…"Maybe I'm approaching this wrong…" He sighs and stops to think carefully for a moment…to the times he had seen her most excited about something…there was the tea house…the hot spring…but it's not like he could wrap either of those up…and before that there was… 

"Why didn't I think of it before…" He groans….she'd practically gone nuts when she'd spotted that stall… "What is it with girls and cute things…" 

It takes him a little while to find the stand…but once he does he's presented with a new problem…which one of the ridiculous creatures should he get her…and the ever smiling saleslady isn't helping him either…and he does note a few curious glances…how often does a masked silver-haired tattooed ninja stop to buy a cute plush animal? 

"Having trouble making a decision?" She observes. 

"…What would you pick for a girl who likes food, sewing and reading romance novels?" Obito 

"Well now…there are several items that I believe such a young lady with those interests would simply adore." And with that she starts shoving a whole pile of hybrid creatures towards him. 

"Whoa hang on there, I just want one not a whole collection." Obito objects. "Just give me something pretty and girly…" 

"Again there are several-" 

"Nevermind…" He sighs whilst interrupting the woman…it's clear that he won't be getting any help out of her…he'd just have to go with his instincts on this one… 

*** *** *** 

Carefully Mieko closes the book and puts it back exactly as she had found it before exiting his room quietly. While no one was around she still felt… almost… as if someone would catch her. It was such a…naughty book. Her face was still burning thinking about it. She goes back downstairs to the kitchen. All that time she had spent sewing she had completely forgotten about breakfast, and she thought she may as well make herself something to eat before she starved. If she was going to go out shopping she would certainly need a little pick me up first. She pondered what to get for her nine cousins… then she realized '…Ten. Have to get something for the new baby…' Then she smiles. 'Or maybe 11. Aunt Emi is prone to having twins…' 

She looks through the cabinets...trying to decide what she wants. But nothing hits her. 'The only image running through her mind is...'that page'…. All she wants to do right now is go back and take a long hot bath, but if she does she'll never get that shopping done. She closes the cabinet and goes to get her purse. 'I'll just get something on the run…' She decides. Maybe if she were out and around people she could control herself a little better. She doubted it…but maybe. 

*** *** *** 

Obito has just gone with his gut on this one…he'd looked until finally grabbing one that didn't look too weird in his opinion…currently secured in a plain paper bag…He probably should have asked to get it wrapped…but he honestly did not want to deal with that woman for any more than he had to… 

"Obito-kun!" 

'Them again?' Obito wonders. 'What do they do all day…sit around waiting for me to show up?' He smirks a little at the thought. 

"Obito-kun." One of them twines her arm around one of his, while the other two fight over who gets to hold onto the other. "What have you been up to, Obito-kun? We've hardly seen you around…" 

"I've been a little busy." He shrugs as he shifts slightly…they were starting to get a little too clingy for his taste…and he really feels like getting a quick drink before heading back home…he'd already decided to wrap the darn thing himself… 

"Ooh, Obito-kun…what's in the bag?" One of them asks curiously…after all this time he still doesn't quite know what their names are… 

"Nothing you need to worry about ladies…" he chuckles as he shrugs his way out of their arms…although that doesn't stop them from ringing around him. 

'Sometimes I just wonder if I might be too sexy for my own good…' 

*** *** *** 

Mieko stops dead in her tracks. Clutching her purse tightly. There it is that sick feeling in her stomach. Why she was surprised she didn't know but…there he was with the three 'vultures' …the same ones she had threatened before. She supposed she had her answer for exactly what he had been doing today after all… 

A part of her wants to go over and yank out all their hair…but what was the point. Those two words of his kept ringing over and over in her ears… 'No promises..' How could she blame him for something he spelled out for her from the beginning. 'If that's what he wants…that's what he wants.' She sighs suddenly not feeling so hungry anymore, for a moment she thinks she caught his eye but she looks away quickly. Maybe that was wishful thinking…and she turns to find a weapons stand… 'Daitaro first…' she thought. She was there already so she may as well get her shopping over with. She'd never thought of shopping as a chore before , but right now she wanted to be anywhere but there. 

*** *** *** 

"Obito-kun…won't you come and talk to us a while longer?" The third girl whines slightly. 

"Sorry ladies…another time maybe…I have things to take care of today…" He chuckles as he is greeted with three disappointed sighs. "I'll see you around…" And with that he heads into the other direction…'Now to get that drink…" 

*** *** *** 

She'd never dreaded shopping so much in her life, though she'd managed to find something suitable for everyone. And much as she didn't feel like eating…her stomach had taken issue with her and finally she had given up and headed back to the house. After putting away her bags in Ai's room, she headed down to the kitchen to pick up where she had left off earlier. Though still…nothing seemed the least bit appealing as she looked through the cabinets. Upset as she was the only thing she seemed to have on her mind was Obito…and that page. 

*** *** *** 

One drink had turned into more but Obito has plenty of time and doesn't really think much of the day's events as he enters his home through the back door, the paper bag still in hand. 

He smirks when he sees just who else is in the kitchen…somehow it doesn't surprise him to find her here…and with the house to themselves. "Keeping busy, Mieko-chan?" 

*** *** *** 

Once again…just as she is looking under the sink for just the right size pan…'Crack!' …and she finds herself on her bottom on the kitchen floor rubbing her head. "You need to stop scaring me like that…" She sighs. 

Placing the paper bag aside for the moment, Obito chuckles as he helps the girl up to her feet. "Hmmm, Mieko-chan…you should be more careful…one day you'll cause irreparable damage to that pretty head of yours…" Then he adds a little more mischievously. "Want me to kiss it better?...Maybe tell me of all the other places that are sore too…" 

"No… I'm fine really. Thank you." She says a little too quickly as she slips from his hands and turns back to what she was doing. Finding the right pan and starting to make herself a late breakfast. "Do you want me to make you something? I was going to make some donuts." She fills the pan with oil and sets it on to heat while she starts to mix the batter, her back turned to him and not once does she turn to look at him. She doesn't dare. The image of him there in the market surrounded by those 'freakish little birds of prey…' is still clear in her mind and she's feeling quite foolish for having even considered doing something…'out of that book…' 

Obito frowns slightly…after their quality time in the bathroom she'd become more receptive to his advances…"Is something wrong, Mieko-chan?" He asks before trying again, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind her, "We're alone you know…" 

"I know…" Her breath catches slightly as she feels his arms around her. 'How am I supposed to be annoyed at him…' She closes her eyes. "… but I'm not really in the mood." She says softly. Of course she was in the mood…she always was around him and she wasn't so sure her lie sounded so convincing. It certainly hadn't convinced her. 

"Somehow I find that one hard to believe…" He chuckles. "Hmmm…maybe I should check…" One of his hands starts to drift down her leg with the intention of going up her skirt. 

Her body stiffens as she pushes his hand away. "I think you've had more than your fair share of that today…" 

Obito frowns then, "What are you talking about?" He thinks hard about it. "You think I went out for some action? I bumped into a couple of friends and had a few drinks if you want to know how I spent my time out." 

"It's none of my business what you do." Mieko says quietly. "If you call those three vultures friends…I'm sure they're much more…interesting…to be with than I am." A blush creeps up to her face. Interesting wasn't the word she wanted to use but she wasn't sure how else to say it without embarrassing herself further and she tries to sound very disinterested. "You never said.. Did you want some donuts?" She finishes whipping up the batter and gets ready to put some drops in to fry. 

The masked Nin wants to laugh out-loud…but keeps his voice steady, "That's what you're getting so worked up over? Those three girls come onto me as often as they can…it doesn't mean anything." He shrugs. "And besides when I said friends I was referring to my team-mates…" Then he chuckles. "And whenever you do offer to make me something…you somehow end up eating it all in the end…not that I'm complaining…" Obito gives Mieko's rear end a squeeze. 

Mieko sighs and leans back against his chest. "I don't know why I get so jealous. I know I shouldn't. As much as I know you do whatever you want when you're not with me…it doesn't mean I like to see it…" She takes in a deep breath tilting her head back so she's looking up at him. "You really didn't do anything with them today? I saw them hanging all over you…I'm sure they wanted to." 

"I'm sure they did…" Obito chuckles. "But somehow, I don't even think all three of them put together would be half as exciting as…" He presses his hips firmly against her backside. "…You and I having some fun in the kitchen while no one else is around…" Just thinking about it is getting him excited… 

She can't help but giggle…"Only you could make that sound like a proper compliment." She reaches back with her hand and rubbing his hip. "You know…I have a confession to make…" She tilts her head back more, a blush creeping up through her chest. "I was in your room today…" She takes in a deep breath. "I was …reading that book. Is there some reason you have all but one page checked off?" She shifts the focus of her hand, moving it from his hip to the front of his pants rubbing gently. 

Obito groans he doesn't want to talk…he wants to slam Mieko onto the table and have his way with her he jerks his hips slightly, urging her to rub harder. "Hmmm…girls seem to find that one too intimidating…" One of his hands reaches into her shirt. 

"Would you like to do that…?" Mieko takes his hand guiding it just where she wants, showing him just how hard she wants it… her other hand working at unzipping his pants, before she reaches in rubbing him harder just how he likes. "…with me?" Her heart is racing; the thought that he might say yes terrifies and excites her all at once. 

Obito pants slightly and manages to give Mieko a flat look…it was like asking the Hokage if he would like to eat some Ramen…"If I say yes…" he starts sliding her clothes off. "Would you be willing?" 

"Do you think I would have asked if I weren't?" Her voice is shaking slightly. There was no going back now even if she wanted to. "You can do anything you want. As long as it's just you…"She thought back to the pages that she knew she just could never do…"Maybe those other girls are okay with threesomes… or more…but I only want you. And it should go without saying I don't like the idea of anyone else touching you…" She breathes deeper as she kisses his chin lightly, her hand pressing even harder, and she thinks if he doesn't get out of those pants soon… 

He smirks slightly…it's a pity he thinks…that she'd be leaving so soon…he wouldn't have minded showing her that even with just him…they could still have a threesome…part of him thanks his father for that little innovation…he'd read a little note scribbled in one of the Icha Icha passages…the thought of his parents having done it was more than a little disturbing…who'd thought of using the shadow clone technique that way… 

Obito grasps Mieko by the shoulders and spinning her around pushes her back onto the table…but not so hard that it would hurt her…much. 

*** *** *** 

Reading about it couldn't possibly have prepared her for just how…intense…that was. Her eyes still squeezed shut tight. She ached…like she didn't think it was possible to ache. Obito was right… she had to be a naughty girl to do something like that. Especially when he had said the others wouldn't. But she didn't want to be a naughty girl…'How can he make me feel like this…?' She reaches up to pull him closer, wrapping her arms around his neck as she kisses him softly on the cheek, her voice soft and shaking. "Obito-san…Take me up for a bath please?" 

Heck…after letting him do that to her it's the least he can do…"Sure thing, Mieko-chan…" He picks her up gently and shifts slightly to grab the clothes with one hand…he wouldn't want anyone coming home to find those sprawled over the kitchen floor…Once upstairs, he sets her down carefully before running a bath…he has every intention of joining her for it…whether they do anything or not… 

Mieko waits patiently on the edge of the bath, until he's run the water and she tests it with her fingers before climbing in and settling down to wash herself, leaning forward to start on her toes. She feels very awkward right now. She can't even look at him. "Did you really enjoy that?" By the way he had reacted she had guessed he did. What worried her more was that she did. 

"Do you hear me complaining?" He smirks as he goes to join her...making himself comfortable behind her, rubbing his hands across her shoulders and back, applying pressure where needed. 

'I guess…it wasn't such a big deal to him after all…' She sighs a little. It had seemed like such a big deal to her though. She leans back against his chest again. 'Oh well..' She wouldn't let herself get upset over it. Even though it stung a little. She takes his hand as he rubs her right shoulder, giving it a small kiss before guiding it down between her legs. "You missed a spot…" 

"Hmmm…and here I almost thought you'd had enough…" He chuckles as he complies with what he knows she wants. "You really are a bad girl…" 

"Don't say that…" She says her voice catching a little as she draws in a deep breath. "I'm really not that bad am I?" She turns to look at him, shaking a little. 

Obito brushes his masked lips against hers, "It shouldn't bother you Mieko-chan…I mean that in a good way…besides." He changes the angle of his hand a little. "You only seem to be bad whenever I'm around…not that I'm complaining…" 

Mieko sighs. "I can't seem to help it with…I never wanted anything this badly before…I'm going to miss it…" She moans a little… 'His fingers feel so good' and then she lets out a little squeak as he hits just the right spot. 

Obito continues his ministrations… although he doesn't say it…part of him feels that he'd miss it too.


	10. Chapter 10

Obito eyes his wrapping job. Even he could tell it sucked and he lets out a frustrated sigh. They're all about to head out for dinner, the last dinner, so he has no time to redo it. He doubts he'd be able to do a better job the second time around anyway. He stashes the hideous parcel under his bed with yet another frustrated sigh. He intends to give Mieko her gift later anyway. One last quick check in the mirror. The masked Nin does not dress formally often but when he does he makes sure he looks good. He'd decided to leave his hair down again after all Mieko seemed to like it. About to exit the room and join those waiting for the women to finish up, he pauses briefly and as an afterthought goes to rummage through one of the drawers. 'You never know...' He smirks as he tucks a few condoms into his pocket. 

*** *** *** 

Mieko takes in a deep breath as she lays out the blue dress on Ai's bed. She'd waited until the other girl had gone to the shower before taking it out. Yoichi had wanted Mieko to keep it a complete secret until the last possible moment. Deciding that if she didn't know about it she wouldn't have long enough to really try and refuse, and especially not after Mieko had made it with her own two hands. She really hoped Ai would like it well enough to wear it. She herself was a little worried as she looked in the mirror. The dress she had made was somewhat less modest than her usual attire. Though the pale pink silk looked demure enough…she glances down at her legs…she had made the slits on the side of the qipao a good bit higher than perhaps she should have. But these dresses could be so confining, and on the off chance she was able to be alone with Obito at any point tonight, she didn't want him to have any trouble…She had placed the closures in front of the dress while sewing it, rather than having it button on one shoulder which was most typical. She had spent a good bit of time designing it so that Obito would have the easiest possible access to …everything. She blushes, wondering when it is she started to think of such things when she was always so modest before… 

*** *** *** 

Downstairs Yoichi is ready and set to go. Has been for sometime as he waits at the door when he hears a knock. 'Finally…' he thinks to himself peeking out the window to be sure, grinning when he opens the door. What a splurge on flowers. He'd ordered an extra elaborate bunch this time. Specifically requesting that they 'not be arranged'. He thought Ai might enjoy just making up something pretty herself with them. And he'd made sure that there were plenty. He tips the delivery person generously, and grinning takes them to the kitchen laying them out on the table. 

*** *** *** 

Obito enters the kitchen, intending to sneak a quick drink from the sake before his mother's finished getting ready. He raises an eyebrow when he sees all the flowers on the table. 

"The hell?" He knew Yoichi had been getting Ai flowers he just wants to know what he's laying them out on the table for… 

*** *** *** 

Ai returns to her room, she'd already made plans on what to wear and it would not be a dress this time, she hopes, there wouldn't be any odd looks no awkwardness. Ai catches Mieko looking at herself in the mirror and is about to comment when something catches her eye… 

"Mieko-san…" The kunoichi speaks very softly. "…Why is there a dress on my bed?" 

"Ai-san" Mieko turns around smiling hopefully. "I hope you like it…" She comes over and sits on the bed picking up the dress. "Yoichi asked me to make it for you. He picked out the material when he picked out mine. It's nothing too fussy honestly." The dress was fairly simple though sleeveless and the prettiest shade of blue with a hint of a silver pattern running through it. "The material is the best silk…and it has a dragon pattern. He didn't think you would like anything too flowery on it…and I made it simple… and modest. I know it's sleeveless…but you have such a pretty figure and your arms are so toned…" Mieko is babbling she's so worried. "I hope you like it." She finishes simply, almost out of breath. 

*** *** *** 

Yoichi grins. "I thought Ai-chan might like to make her own arrangements with them." A laugh escapes his lips as he turns to Obito, raising a brow. "Whoa… who you trying to impress? I thought you'd be as bad as Ai-chan about getting dressed up for dinner." He watches as Obito goes for the sake. "Pour me some of that will ya?" 

Obito shakes his head slightly, "I'd have thought she'd broken something on you by now…You beat the old record." He pours them each a glass of sake as he eyes the flowers some more. "Seriously though…what do you see in my sister? It's not like you're going to be able to score with her, she'd pound you into the ground if you tried." 

Yoichi shrugs. "You probably wouldn't understand." Yoichi takes the sake downing it quickly. "But whatever I feel for your sister I'll take over just 'scoring' any day of the week." 

*** *** *** 

"Yoichi…asked you to make it…" Ai twitches slightly…if ever she'd had the urge to hit someone…it is now. He'd said he'd get her in a dress before he left and she really hadn't thought he'd succeed. That worried and hopeful expression on Mieko's face just makes it impossible for her to refuse it. She sighs before forcing herself to smile, "It is a…lovely dress…and…I'll wear it…" Defeated…She had been utterly defeated. "But only because _you_ made it…" And of course it had to be in Yoichi's favorite color…although she now finds something appealing about the color herself. 

Mieko can't help but giggle. Yoichi really was sneaky. "I'll wait for you downstairs, I'm going to grab something to nibble on before we go. " She starts to leave the room before poking her head back in and smiling. "Oh … don't you have some blue hairpins? They would look really nice in your hair if you do." Before Ai has the chance to answer she closes the door and heads downstairs to the kitchen. It just seemed to be the place she found herself in most. She lets out a little squeal as she sees all the flowers laid out on the table. "Yoichi…oh my goodness...what did you do? Buy out the entire flower shop?" 

"Something like that." Yoichi winks, mischievously. "So how did it go with the dress? She wearing it?" 

Mieko smiles brightly. "Worked like a charm. Although her exact words were 'Only because I made it.' You're lucky I sew so well mister." She playfully punches Yoichi in the stomach as he plants a kiss on her forehead. 

"Yeah well. I owe you big time for that one." 

Mieko shrugs and smiles softly. "I don’t mind…it's nice seeing you this way." Then she turns to Obito, she had resisted the urge to say something when she first walked in the room, but then of course she didn't dare be obvious…"And look at you. Don't you clean up nice." She playfully tugs at his hair." Her heart is beating a little faster in her chest. She didn't know it was possible for him to look so handsome. 

Obito is no complete fool, he knows he needs to be careful with her brother around. He only allows his eyes to briefly look her over…despite the desire to have them linger a little longer…but that may have been suspicious…as far as everyone else is concerned…there's nothing going on between them…"Hmmm…do I now?" He chuckles as he 'accidentally' brushes his hand against hers while he places his glass onto the kitchen counter. "Did you make that dress yourself too?" He remarks casually. 

*** *** *** 

Ai glares at her reflection and she's a little disappointed, if Yoichi hadn't been leaving, she would have dragged him out to the training grounds the next day and shown him no mercy…but…he is leaving. She frowns, why should it bother her? All they did together was spar, pick flowers…spend time together at her favorite places…kiss…She blushes. Like it or not…she knows she's going to miss him…a little. 

She walks over to her bed and reaches underneath her pillow, taking out the little box, she feels a little silly and unsure as to whether she should really give it to him or not…perhaps she should have asked her mother on the proper gift-giving protocol between a guy and a girl when there might be a little something more than friendship going on…but that would only lead to more questions and embarrassing lectures. What she intended to give him is something of hers that has more sentimental value than it is actually worth, it is really more of something to remember her by rather than anything he'd really be able to use. 

Ai sighs and after a moment's hesitation grabs a weapon's pouch from her momentarily unlocked cabinet, the kind used to carry concealed weapons so it is a lot less bulky than her regular one. She straps it around her leg, and after shifting it around so it can't be noticed, she inserts the box into it and she's lucky, it only just fits. This way she would have some time to decide as to whether or not she'd actually give it to him… 

*** *** *** 

Just that brush of his hand had managed to warm her up, but she tried to brush it off. "I did actually." Mieko says seriously as she looks down at her own dress. "I hope it looks nice enough." She hadn't been to the restaurant with them last time so she wasn't really sure if the dress was appropriate. "I spent so much time on the one for Ai-san…" She laughs at Yoichi. "You have no idea how hard it is to make a dress for someone when you can't do a proper fitting." 

Yoichi looks her up and down very carefully then he smiles. "You look quite beautiful Mieko-chan. Although…" He notes the slits on the side of her dress. "Dad might take a little issue with it…" 

Mieko blushes, but she puts it quite practically. "I couldn't very well make a kimono. I haven't a clue how and this is the only thing I could think of that would be dressy enough, it would be much too confining, honestly…" She loves these sort of dresses and she always thinks they look so beautiful on women but, she double checks the length of the slits on each side. "It's hardly indecent. And they're just legs…it’s not like anything important is showing…" 

A thought hits Yoichi then, if she had made the same sort of dress for Ai…. "Tell me you didn't make Ai's dress like yours…" His face goes pale. 

Mieko gives her brother a giggle. "I'm not stupid. Of course I didn't." 

Yoichi lets out a little sigh of relief and smiles as he goes back to separating the flowers into little bunches on the table. 

She goes over and peeks into the refrigerator, finding a little container of leftover sesame balls. She had made plenty of them the night before…expecting to have a chance to have a midnight snack but….other things had prevented that. Hopping up on the counter and allowing her legs to swing playfully , she eyes Obito as she brings one to her lips… 

'She is so doing that on purpose…' Obito thinks to himself as he watches with seeming disinterest, very annoyed by the fact that Yoichi still is in the kitchen…but in a sense…it always is a little more fun this way…

*** *** *** 

Ai rummages through the few hair ornaments she owns, namely the ones her mother had bought her, but none of them are just the right shade of blue, she'd dreaded this… 

Approaching the door to her parents' room she knocks and waits for a response, the last time she'd walked in without knocking she'd found her father gagged with his wrists bound to the bed... 

A few moments later, Hana pokes her head out the door her face is slightly flushed and Ai is very glad to have knocked first… 

Her mother's eyes widen, "Ai you-you're wearing a dress! And I didn't even have to force you!" A huge grin is now plastered on the woman's face. 

The still masked kunoichi sighs slightly, "You may not have forced me but other circumstances have. I need something for my hair, something blue that will go with this…" 

It looks as though Hana is about to ask Ai to come into the room but thinks it over and decides differently. "You wait right there, I'll be back." She responds cheerfully as she shuts the door. And only a few seconds later, Hana re-emerges and shoves a reasonably large jewelry box into Ai's hands. "These are all the hair ornaments I have, there's bound to be something in there…now your father and I need to finish getting ready." And with that the door is closed once again. 

Ai sighs as she walks back to her room to start looking through the box… 

*** *** *** 

Yoichi smirks as his mother and father walk into the kitchen. His mother's face is slightly flushed and his father is only grinning as he leads his wife in, hand tightly around her waist. He was pretty sure he knew what they were doing before getting ready. 

Essa gives his hand a little slap as he starts to move it a bit lower, and she turns her attention to the table. "More flowers…?" She smiles at her eldest. "My my … I do believe someone is a bit smitten by a certain young lady with silver hair…" She goes over and pinches Yoichi's cheek. 

"Mother, really…" Yoichi blushes. 

"Oh…" Gojyo goes over and mimics his wife. "My wittle baby is gwoing up…" Smirking then at Yoichi and slapping him in the head. "Here it was Hansuke I thought we had to teach to play hard to get." 

Essa gives Gojyo an elbow. "Women do not like hard to get men." She glares at him. 

"Oh no? And what was I then?" he raised a brow. 

"As I recall you were actually quite easy." A little smile forms on her lips. 

"Oh mother really…" Mieko blushes, as she reaches up with one hand playing nervously with her earlobe. It's feeling quite hot. "We all know what Daddy was like before he met you. But do we really need to hear it?" 

Gojyo gives his daughter a look, frowning slightly. "Stand up a minute Mieko-chan…" 

Mieko flushes slightly, putting down the sesame ball she was about to eat as she slides off the counter, standing up and straightening the front of her dress. "Is something wrong?" She asks nervously. 

"That dress…don't you think it's a touch…mature for you." 

"Gojyo…don't be silly it looks lovely on her." Essa touches him by the arm as he feels him tense slightly, but Gojyo isn't so sure. 

"I suppose it's alright…" He shrugs. "Just be careful how you sit in that thing." 

Ai walks into the kitchen just then, having heard voices from there, she'd found a comb that was just the right shade of blue to use in her hair. 

"Damn…" Obito remarks. "You really can look like a girl when you want to…" 

The kunoichi gives her brother a glare and directs a small one in Yoichi's direction as well. "You are lucky I cannot fight in this dress ni-san…" 

"Riiight, you keep telling yourself that baby sister." He chuckles. 

Ai gives her brother a look over herself, "And what do you know, so you are capable of masquerading as a decent member of society…" 

"What are you saying exactly?" 

"Tsk…you always were a little slow, ni-san…" 

"Oh, you try saying that when we're on the training grounds!" 

"I don't have to…I've already said it here and you know I don't like repeating myself." 

"Fine! We'll deal with this now!" 

Ai and Obito go to stand right across from each other before each of them draws back their right arm and… 

"Rock! Paper! Scissors!" 

Mieko and Yoichi look at each other. Yoichi smirks…Mieko giggles. As adorable as they look when they argue like that…Mieko is glad Obito isn't her brother. She didn't know how she'd be able to stand him as a brother. 

"Ai-san…I pity you. It must be awful having to deal with Obito all day everyday." Mieko giggles, avoiding Obito's eye. With her father there she barely dared to look at him for even a second. "If he were my brother…honestly I'd never want to leave my room." 

"Yeah…" Yoichi nudges Mieko and winks at Ai. "And just imagine how embarrassing it would be for me to have a sister who could kick my *ss." 

"I could kick your behind if I wanted to." Mieko wrinkles her nose at Yoichi. 

"Dare ya." Yoichi grins as he pushes up his cuffs just a hint and starts wriggling his fingers at Mieko who only squeals and runs to the other side of the room. 

"Don't you even tickle me." 

Yoichi chuckles, pulling his cuffs back down. 

"And this is the lot me and Kakashi are wasting a small fortune to feed to tonight." Gojyo sighs and lights up a cigarette. 

"Oh, Ai…you seem to have failed to notice but your 'boyfriend' got you some more flowers…" Obito smirks as he pokes his sister's forehead. 

Ai slaps her brother's hand away while she mutters a low, "He's not my boyfriend, baka…" She turns her attention to the flowers on the table and blushes slightly. "You really didn't have to get me more flowers Yoichi-san…" She says softly. 

Yoichi grins and shrugs. "I figured last night here I'd get you a little something special. Mostly blue ones though…" He looks over the array of flowers on the table. "I seem to have a thing for blue." 

Mieko smiles. It's sweet everything Yoichi is doing for Ai. Though somehow she isn't entirely sure Ai really can quite yet appreciate how her brother is feeling. A tiny part of her is feeling a little jealous…Yoichi had sent flowers for her every morning. And now again for the second time in one day. 'I never knew he could be so romantic…' She sighs. 'If Ai only knew how lucky she is…'

"Ai-chan…" Essa goes over to the girl lightly touching her hair and fingering the pretty comb in her hair. "You look lovely. Such a beautiful dress…" She smiles. She recognizes the fabric as being in with the one she'd had him get for Mieko. She wasn't sure exactly what was going on between her eldest and Ai but…she certainly had brought out a different side of him. 

"Thank you Essa-san…" Ai responds politely. "Mieko-san made it for me…" 

"Ah, sorry to keep everyone waiting." Kakashi apologizes as he enters the kitchen. "I was a little tied up." 

Hana hits him in the back of the head, "Kakashi!" 

Obito looks disgusted, "I'm pretty sure no one wants to know why it's taken you this long…at least I don't." 

"Your mother just seems to have a lot of ener-" 

"Not listening!" Obito clamps his hands over his ears. 

"…You can be such a baby, ni-san…" Ai remarks whilst shaking her head. 

"Oh?" Kakashi gives his daughter a good look over. "I thought you said you wouldn't wear a dress today?" 

"…Mieko-san made it for me." 

"I'll go get the camera!" Hana calls out cheerfully as she goes to do just that. 

"You do approve of the dress don't you Kakashi-san?" Mieko looks at the older man uncertainly. "I think she looks so pretty in it." Of course there was the matter of the veil but…'Oh well…baby steps' 

Kakashi glances from Ai's to Mieko's dress, "Yes." He responds simply just glad that Mieko hadn't made the dress in the same style as hers… 

"Everyone into the main room for pictures!" Hana's voice rings out. 

"Right…better not keep her waiting." Kakashi gives his daughter a quick affectionate squeeze on the shoulder. 

Yoichi is staring at the back of Kakashi's head as he follows them into the next room. He supposed now would not be the time to try and hold her hand… 

Gojyo chuckles. "Damn Kakashi… that woman bellows and you come a running don't you?" He winks, as he puts his arm around his wife's waist leading her in. "Good thing Essa doesn't try that with me…I'd have to take her over my knee…" He smirks nuzzling Essa's neck and giving it a light bite. 

"Behave yourself." Essa gives him a little shove, blushing. "You're getting worse than Sanzo-san with that…" 

Mieko is turning pink and she tugs gently at her ears. That was just something she really didn't need to hear. 

"Alright! Places everyone!" Hana smiles brightly as she takes it upon herself to actually physically position people to stand where she wants them to. About ten minutes of group photo taking she turns to her daughter. "Now Ai go stand with Yoichi, I'll take a picture of just the both of you." 

"What?" Ai squeaks at around the same time as Kakashi says, "Why?" 

Hana gives her husband a flat look, "It's just a picture Kakashi, deal with it." 

He glares a little at Yoichi…just because he had to deal with it doesn't mean he needs to like it. "Keep it respectable." 

"Do you really think I would do something unrespectable?" Yoichi smiles, of course he wouldn't and even if he would have it wouldn't be in front of him "…really Kakashi-san. I know why you and Dad get along so well… you both think alike." Yoichi holds one of Ai's hands giving it a little squeeze as he puts his other arm around Ai's waist, pulling her close…though not too close. 

Once again Ai finds her heart beating faster…and she feels a little uncomfortable…but not so much because Yoichi has his arm around her waist…just the fact that there are others watching…among them their parents… 

"Oh, how cute!" Hana gushes as she takes several pictures. 

"Kasan…we shouldn't let Mieko-san feel left out…" Obito remarks as casually as only he can. "And I shouldn't be left out either for that matter…" 

"Oh?" Hana looks at her son questioningly and so does Kakashi. 

Obito offers his arm to Mieko, "What do you say…Mieko-san…have a picture taken with me?" 

Both Hana and Kakashi look uncertainly at Gojyo. 

Mieko had been watching the entire scene a bit wistfully…her brother and Ai looked so nice together, that Obito's suggestion caught her quite off-guard. She looked up at him her eyes huge as she felt her heart flutter slightly. She had calmed herself very quickly though. It simply would not do if her father thought for a moment…Mieko forces a polite smile as she stands up. "I could hardly refuse that would be rude." She says simply, then laughs a bit to play it off. "Though I feel like I ought to be hitting you over the head with something…" 

Gojyo bristles slightly. He hadn't missed that look Mieko had given Obito. "You know Obito…everything your father said to Yoichi…goes double for you." He glares at him, but still…Gojyo has the sickest feeling… 

"Sure thing…" Obito smirks slightly…if the man knew. Obito guides Mieko to stand before the camera just as Yoichi and Ai move out of the way. The masked Nin opts to drape his arm around Mieko's shoulder as opposed to the waist. 

After taking a few pictures Hana smiles brightly, "And how about one with the four of you in it…girls in the center and boys on either side." 

Mieko leans in to Ai whispering low. "What is it with your mother and taking soooo many pictures?" She giggles. Letting her hand brush against Obito's thigh as they shift positions slightly and Hana instructs them how to stand. 

"'Preserving memories' she calls it…" Ai whispers back. 

Obito smirks slightly…that was a bold move…right under 'daddy's' nose too…he has to admit…he's never enjoyed being teased by a girl so much…and teasing her back turned out to be equally as enjoyable but he has no intention to try anything just yet. Mieko might have been able to get away with it but that would be because Gojyo's eyes are watching _him_ and his movements. 

"Done!" Hana chirps. 

"It's about time…" Ai mutters under her breath. 

"I heard that young lady!" 

*** *** *** 

"Oh my…" Mieko lets out a little breath as she looks around the room, following her parents to the table. "This is so lovely…" She turns and glances over her shoulder at Yoichi. "How was the food?" 

Yoichi smirks as he holds out a chair for Ai. "Absolutely incredible. Some of the best I've ever had." 

Obito decides to follow Yoichi's example and holds a chair out for Mieko, also this would increase his chances of being able to sit next to her and he smirks at the thought…have some fun. 

"Thank you Obito-san." Mieko says politely as she takes the seat, her heart is pounding furiously and she has to admit to herself as much as she knows it's all for show she quite likes when Obito is like this. Like a gentleman even if she knows he isn't. 

Gojyo gives Obito a dirty look as he holds a seat out for Essa, sitting down in his own after. "Since when did you become such a f*cking gentleman?" 

"Gojyo!" Essa gives him a hard elbow in the side. 

"Sorry babe…" Gojyo mutters under his breath as he picks up the menu. "Just thinking out loud…" 

Kakashi and Hana exchange a glance. 

But Ai is suspicious too, this isn't exactly 'Obito' behavior, him suggesting a photo with Mieko was a little out there but holding the chair out… 

Obito shrugs it off, he'd heard much worse from a number of angry fathers and he triumphantly takes the seat next to Mieko where underneath the table his hand just slightly brushes against her knee. 

Mieko is doing her best to look casual, thankfully she has the menu to concentrate on otherwise she isn't so sure she could manage. With one hand she reaches for Obito's hand as he brushes against her, and she does something she isn't so sure she should but she takes it and laces her fingers in with his, hoping he'll just let her hold it for a moment. 

Yoichi is watching the two. There was something very weird going on and he looks over at Ai. He was pretty sure she sensed it too. 

Ai returns the look as she glances back to her brother who seems to be checking the wine list…nothing out of the ordinary in his manner but she still feels that there's something 'off' about him… 

Hand-holding, it seems so tame but he doesn't mind terribly, after all, the evening's really just started and there'd be plenty time for more later, he gives her hand a little squeeze whilst maintaining his seeming interest in the wine list. 

"Obito…I'm hoping you'll actually be ordering something to eat and not just wine." Hana remarks. 

"If you're not sure what to get just do what I do." Kakashi offers. 

Obito gives his father a blank look, "Like hell I will after seeing some of the weird crap you've ended up with?" 

Kakashi sighs and shakes his head, "No sense of adventure these days…" 

"Ooh…" Mieko lets out a little giggle. "I'll start with a salad then, Fromages de Chèvres Chauds…oooh and soup…Soupe de Favouilles that just sounds heavenly…" She looks back over the menu at her father. "Can we get appetizers too?" 

Gojyo closes his menu and sighs, grinning. "Why not…may as well go for broke." He winks at his daughter. He has no clue what she is ordering, and however she acquired the accent she is using when she is saying it, 'Amazing…' He still wonders how they all managed to learn French, whatever the heck that was, without him knowing about it… he was still going to have to have that talk with Essa… 

"Oooh…" Mieko continues on. " Pissaladière and…Panisse.. And for the main course…" She looks over the menu very carefully…so much she would like…it was so hard to decide on just one thing. "La Millefeuilles de Saumon Fumé Florentine…perfect…" She smiles as she closes her menu. She glances over to Obito. "Do you know what you would like yet? 

Yoichi chuckles as he looks over his menu with Ai. "I don't suppose you are going to have what she's having are you?" 

"Not even if I knew what those things are…" The kunoichi responds softly, she'd already decided that she'd be sticking to what she'd ordered the last time, no way is she going to chance at ordering something else when she'd already found something she liked. 

"Well...Mieko-san." Obito chuckles, "You really seem to know your stuff, why don't you order for me, I trust your judgment more than my fathers…" 

"I will let you know that my method has had some very pleasing results." Kakashi declares. 

"And a lot of disastrous ones too, I might add." The younger Hatake responds coolly. 

" Well …" Mieko thinks a moment , loosening her hand from Obito's as she looks over the menu again. "…I suppose that all depends on what you're in the mood for tonight…" she says simply as she lets her fingertips run along his thigh. "Then she looks at Obito raising her brow a bright smile on her face. "Do you prefer red meat , seafood or poultry?" 

Obito smirks, Mieko had quickly learned how to play the game and does she ever play it well. "I'm not all too picky an eater actually and I'm sure that whatever you order me is going to be great. Although…" He returns the gesture however he opts to slip his hand in around the inside of her thigh, if only briefly. "…I do like my food hot." 

"I'll keep that in mind." Mieko looks over the menu thoughtfully. This was going to be more difficult than she had imagined. She was already feeling warm and she was hoping it didn't show. One thing she knew for sure, she had certainly cut those slits in her dress high enough, she moves her hand down to her lap, moving the edge of the skirt aside just a touch before shifting his hand to a spot just slightly higher on the inside of her thigh. 

Obito smiles behind his mask as he lets his hand caress her eagerly, daring to slide up even further, the risk of being caught, the fact that both their parents are present just makes it hotter… 

"Mieko-chan?" Yoichi looks over at his sister…she looks a little odd to him. "Is something wrong?" 

Mieko looks up shaking her head slowly and smiling. "Nothing wrong at all." She's horrible at lying, though it's a good thing that nothing Obito is doing is 'wrong' it all feels so very right. "But if the waiter doesn't get here soon there might be." She rests her chin in one hand as she gazes off toward the kitchen doors, as she moves her hand a little further into Obito's laps rubbing very gently against the front of his pants. 

The masked shinobi just manages to bite back a groan, he had to be careful that he didn't get 'too excited', unlike Mieko his 'excitement' would show a little more, but he allows her to keep going, for now and his own hand starts getting just a little bit rougher, but not too much, if Mieko made any strange noises now, they may get 'daddy's' attention… 

"Where is that waiter?" Mieko wants to scream, she hadn't shifted her gaze away from the kitchen doors but…'If he doesn't get here soon so I can order'…the sooner she ordered… the sooner she could excuse herself…and god did she ever hope the ladies room was private enough… 

"Obito are you done with that wine list?" Kakashi asks. 

"What? Oh, yeah sure, here you go." Obito's mind had been more than a little preoccupied and he hurriedly flicks the list towards his father who catches it between two fingers. 

"Thank you." 

"You don't throw things around in a restaurant!" Hana hisses as she frowns at both her son and husband. 

"But I caught it." 

"That isn't the point!" 

Essa can not help but laugh. "Do you ever wonder Hana-chan which of your two boys is the most trouble?" 

"I bet it's Kakashi." Gojyo grins and glances over at him. "Better behave yourself, you never know whose knee you might end up over." Then Gojyo rethinks that… "Though…being bad does have it's perks doesn’t it Essa-chan?" He winks at his wife who only blushes and smacks him. 

Yoichi sighs, a slight smile on his face as he turns to Ai and whispers in her ear. "I give my parents ten minutes before they excuse themselves…" 

Ai blushes slightly, before she whispers back, "Don't they have any…reservations about…doing something like that in public?...At all?" 

Hana sighs, "They each come with their own unique set of frustrations…" 

Kakashi frowns slightly, "You say that like it's a bad thing, I mean when it's about the boy I understand, but me?" He points to himself for emphasis. "What's not to like?" 

Hana rolls her eyes in response but smiles despite herself. "At the very least you just have the one tattoo…while as…" She gives Obito a little glare. "A certain someone hasn't stopped adding to the collection since he was fifteen…" 

"I guess it depends what you consider public…" Yoichi chuckles. " I suppose they think as long as they're behind a locked door it doesn't matter." 

Essa looks to Kakashi then smiles at Hana. "The sheer arrogance is overwhelming isn't it?" She then eyes Gojyo. "I completely sympathize." 

Mieko can't help but giggle, then she bites her lip as something Obito just did…"Mother could you order for me please if the waiter comes? I need to excuse myself a moment." She slides out of her seat smoothing down the front of her dress. Her legs are not feeling so steady and she has to hold onto the back of her seat a moment. "Do you remember what I wanted?" 

"Of course dear. I won't forget a thing. If I do you can just order twice the dessert to make up for it." Essa laughs softly. 

"Thank you mother." Mieko walks steadily to the front of the room…if she doesn't get to someplace private soon she's sure she'll just burst. She's thinking about those tattoos of Obito's 'Fifteen…' She couldn't believe he had started getting them so young. Though as much as he had…she'd seen every inch of them and she couldn't say she disapproved at all. 

Obito has fairly good idea as to why Mieko's excused herself…and he's tempted to follow…but not just yet…he had best wait a few minutes…it would be just a tad too obvious if he left the table so soon after her… 

"You really shouldn't complain about his tattoos too much, Hana-chan…" Kakashi muses. "After all…you have one yourself…" 

Hana flushes slightly, "Well, I was a little older when I got it and it is only just the one…" 

"Kasan has a tattoo?" Ai blinks…even she hadn't known that. 

"She sure does and only where I can see it." Kakashi declares a little proudly receiving a whack to the back of his head from his wife. 

"They don't have to know that!" She hisses. 

"Yeah, but if they'd have asked to see it, I just saved them from asking, because now they know they can't. I was being polite." Kakashi adds. 

"Looks like you're the one who's been left out of the loop." Obito grins at his sister. 

"I don't need a tattoo." She huffs. 

"Good, because you aren't getting one." Kakashi determines. 

"Even if I did want one, with all due respect Tousan, that is not your decision to make…" Ai responds calmly. 

Essa looks to her husband. "I have to say I'm quite surprised that's something you've never considered getting." 

"Nah…" Gojyo smirks as he leans in to kiss his wife. "I don't mess with perfection…" 

Essa rolls her eyes. Then looks to Hana. "See what I have to put up with." 

"I notice you didn't argue with me." Gojyo leans back in his seat a look of satisfaction crossing his face. "While I may think you are perfect. I doubt the rest of the female population concurs so wholeheartedly." She wrinkles her nose at him. 

Gojyo smiles and smoothes his wife's cheek then, his voice turning soft. "Well then, that's all that counts since yours is the only heart I care about. 

Yoichi grins. His father may have been a pervert…but he was also a little bit of a romantic when it came to his mother. He looks over at Ai, that water jutsu of hers, that dragon. "So Ai-chan. How do you think I'd look with a tattoo?" 

She blinks, "Why do you ask?" 

"Yes, why do you ask?" Kakashi buts in. 

"Tousan…Yoichi asked me, not you." Ai frowns. 

"…When did you get so familiar that you've started omitting 'san'." 

"Kakashi, enough!" Hana snaps as she kicks him underneath the table. 

"Hana-chan…don't kick me…if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to hurt me." 

"That's the general idea." She mutters. 

"Hana, I am shocked." Kakashi's eyes widen in mock-surprise. "You would really want to hurt me? Your husband who you swore to love honor and cherish in sickness health until death do us part?" 

Hana can't help but giggle a little, "You're such a…" She sighs. "You know it won't even bruise right?" 

During all this Obito had found the time to slip away unnoticed…he's lucky his parents have the ability to draw so much attention to themselves…'Now to go see if Mieko-chan's been waiting for me…' He smirks. 

"I was just curious…I wanted a woman's opinion." Yoichi chuckles. "Goodness Kakashi-san. It was a simple question. Despite what you may think I have no hidden agenda in regards to Ai-chan, in fact I think I have been very upfront about the fact that I quite like her." He turns and smiles at Ai. "Especially in a dress." He had told her he'd get her in a dress before they left…and while his methods were a shade underhanded…he'd still done it. 

*** *** *** 

Mieko sighs as she touches up her lipstick in the powder room. It was hopeless. She hadn't been able to manage on her own for some time now…Obito seemed to have ruined that for her. After just a few minutes she had given up, that and she didn't want to be gone too very long. It would have been awful if someone had heard her just now. Especially that little scream of frustration. 

"Did you miss me…Mieko-chan?" The stealthy masked Nin remarks from the doorway. 

*** *** *** 

Ai looks away a little embarrassed…and the excited squeal from her mother is really not helping matters… 

"Oh, don't they look cute together?" Hana turns to Essa excitedly. 

"No they don't." Kakashi mutters. 

"I wasn't talking to you." His wife glares at him momentarily before returning to smile at Essa. 

"I think they make a lovely couple." Essa takes Hana's hand and gives it a squeeze. "And just imagine…if they got married we'd be related… oh….and the babies. Can you imagine such gorgeous babies…?" Essa squeals. 

"Mother…please." Yoichi is blushing now, feeling suddenly quite uncomfortable. "I need something to drink." He mutters as he looks around for the waiter. 

*** *** *** 

Mieko nearly jumps out of her skin, and her lipstick ends up halfway across her face. "What are you doing in here?! It's the ladies room for goodness sake…" She reaches for some towel, dampening it bit as she begins to wipe the lipstick from her face with trembling hands. " 

Obito goes to stand behind her…wrapping his arms around her…running a hand along her leg before slipping it underneath her dress…to pick up where he'd left off at the table… 

"I know why you were in such a hurry to leave the table…" He whispers into her ear. 

*** *** *** 

Ai is so embarrassed she can't speak…or look at anyone for that matter. 

"Oh, I wonder who they'd take after!" Hana responds just as enthusiastically. 

"Hana!" Kakashi interrupts a little indignant. "Ai is only 17! It is much too early to consider marriage or…babies…" He turns to glare at Yoichi. "And having babies is something she won't be considering until she is well of age…" 

"When she's 18?" Hana smiles she finds it amusing how much this seems to bother her husband. 

"More like when she's 35…and…how can you even talk about such things when she hasn't even been kissed yet!" 

"About that…" Hana giggles as Ai's face reddens further. 

Kakashi's eyes widen slightly. "You mean…?" 

"Already happened." Hana smiles. 

And for a moment…everything goes silent…then Kakashi reaches for his forehead protector, "That's it. I'm using the eye." 

"Oh for goodness sake, Kakashi!" Hana has her hands clamped over his. "Isn't using the sharingan overkill?" 

"Hana-chan? That just made me realize how long it's been…23 years" Essa smiles…giving Kakashi just a quick glance…before turning back to Hana. "How old was I when I met you… I was 17 wasn’t I…" She gives Hana a little wink. "Just Ai-chan's age. Though I don't think Gojyo was too very concerned about that…then again…in Shangri-la I suppose the age of consent is a bit different. " 

"Mother…I really don't want to know just how long you and Dad have been going at it…" He sighs. "And I have no intentions of getting married or having children any time in the near future, I want to get settled on my own. And Ai-chan has her own goals, and I am quite sure marriage and children are not anywhere in them at the moment either." He's nervous and when he gets nervous… as usual… he babbles. 

"Just remember to wear a condom and you won't have to worry about kids." Gojyo says simply. "Well unless of course it breaks…which they can do …you're proof of that…" 

"Dad!" Yoichi glares at his father. "You aren't helping any." 

*** *** *** 

Mieko sighs, leaning back against him as she shifts her leg slightly to give him better access. "I couldn't get anywhere…I can't seem to do it alone anymore…" 

"I know…" He chuckles as he starts grinding against her a little. "Mieko-chan…we don't have much time…" 

*** *** *** 

Ai hides her face in her hands…she isn't sure how much more of this kind of conversation she can take. She's never heard of anyone dying of embarrassment…but she's certain that she might just be the first… 

"I'll say…" Kakashi glares from Yoichi to Gojyo…even at his wife. "Now look what you've done…you've given them all strange ideas." 

Hana shrugs it off, "Ai is growing up Kakashi…only a matter of time before things start happening." 

"Not if I have any say in it…" 

"That's the thing Kakashi…" Hana smiles. "You don't." 

*** *** *** 

"Then what are you waiting for?" Mieko says softly as she turns to him, running her fingers through his smooth silky hair…before pulling him down for a soft kiss on his lips. 

That's all Obito needed to hear…He quickly guides Mieko into one of the stalls where he makes quick work of unzipping his pants and after an initial fumble with the condom he's finally ready. "We'll have to make this a quick one alright…" He pants into Mieko's ear as he has her pinned to the wall. 

*** *** *** 

"Kasan, Tousan…please…" Ai finally interrupts. "Stop talking about that…"

"Oh, but I can't help it sweetie…the two of you look so good together…"

"Don't get me started Hana-chan…" Kakashi frowns.

"Don't be such a spoilsport Kakashi-san." Essa giggles as she leans in towards Hana. "Wouldn't it be nice to have babies around again though…Koemi-chan is getting so big now. I miss being able to hold them in one arm and just think all baby clothes…ooooh and the teeny tiny little booties…I still have Yoichi's first ones… his feet…they were so tiny…and now they're all big and clunky." Essa laughs as she turns to her son. "Although I must admit, even with the big clunky feet and all you turned out quite handsome…." 

"You know what they say…" Gojyo smirks. "Big hands, big feet, big…"

"Gojyo!" Essa's eyes go wide and she gives him a good hard stomp on the foot.

Yoichi sighs and covers his face in his hands as he leans forward on the table. Then he turns to Ai. "Do you ever have the urge to kill your parents?"

*** *** *** 

"Alright for now…" She grabs him tightly by the shoulder, her breathing heavy and her fingers digging in as she brings one leg up to his hips, pulling her skirt high enough for him and helping shift her panties to one side with her free hand. "But I want more later…" 

Obito grabs a hold of both her legs, "Don't worry…there's going to be plenty more, we have to make this last night count. And now…just keep your voice down…" 

*** *** *** 

"Not so much kill them as leaving them trapped in a Genjutsu for a few days…" Ai sighs. 

"I wonder…maybe someday I could get you to teach me a thing or two about these jutsu…They might come in handy." He chuckles. 

*** *** *** 

"It's either gag me or kiss me…because I don't think I can keep that quiet with you." She grabs him by the hair and pulls him in, kissing him hard and deep…playing with that tongue…thinking about all it could do…and hoping it would do later. She wraps her legs around him, clinging to him tightly. This was hardly the most romantic place… and she would never have dreamed she'd ever…but then there was plenty she had done with Obito, much worse than this. 

The silver-haired shinobi sets a fevered pace…but not so much that it's rushed…they may not have a lot of time but he'd make sure that the both of them would be thoroughly satisfied by the time they did leave… 

*** *** *** 

"Hmmm…that depends…it takes a lot of time and hard work…and I'd imagine even more so in your case as you aren't even a ninja…" Ai responds simply. 

"True enough…but I'm sure anytime spent with you is worth it, whether I learned anything or not." He winks. 

*** *** *** 

Mieko takes in several deep breaths as she still clutches his shoulders trying to calm herself. "I wish dinner were over…" She murmurs against his ear. "Obito-san..? Do you think we could go back to the hot springs tonight? We can do that thing you like so much again." Very tenderly she kisses his lips. 

"Definitely…" He responds…'I wonder if anyone's noticed me missing yet…' 

*** *** *** 

"Well, a crying shame you're leaving though, isn't it?" Kakashi points out. 

"Kakashi! What an awful thing to say." Hana sighs as she hits him in the arm. 

Ai avoids looking at Yoichi…although her hand moves to hold his. 

"Speaking of leaving…" Essa frowns slightly. "Mieko-chan has been gone a while. I hope nothing's wrong." 

"Can't be anything she ate." Gojyo frowns. "Damn waiter hasn't even shown up yet to take the order, see if that son of a bitch gets a tip…" Then he notices something else, which concerns him more and he stiffens a little. " And just where is that delinquent son of yours?" He frowns at Kakashi. 

"Hmmm?" Kakashi turns his head to look at the empty seat. "Oh…what do you know…he's gone." 

*** *** *** 

"You better head back before me…it would look suspicious if we came back together…" Obito tells Mieko. 

Mieko nods quietly, her face still feels flushed and she adjusts her clothes before exiting the bathroom stall and looking in the mirror. If she didn't look like a girl who just had sex…quickly she splashes her face with some cool water, touching up her lipstick once more and fixing her hair…and she prayed the guilty look wouldn't still be on her face as she headed back out to the table. 

"Mieko-chan…? Are you alright." Essa looks at her daughter as she takes her seat. "You look all flushed." 

"Do I?" Mieko manages to look surprised, and she pulls up her purse and takes out her mirror peeking into it. "I thought I looked alright when I left the ladies room…it's probably from being so hungry.. Has the waiter come by yet? I'm famished." 

Gojyo frowns, but he says nothing. His baby girl wouldn't do anything wrong, that much he was sure of. But he still had that sick feeling in his stomach. 

"The waiter seems to be missing in action Mieko-chan." Yoichi sighs. "The service was definitely much better the last time we were here." 

"They could be short handed…" Mieko says quickly. 

It's then at last he arrives, looking quite apologetic. The young waiter smiles and looks around the table. "My apologies for taking so long to get to you." 

"You'd better apologize…" Mieko glares up at him as her stomach growls. "We're practically starving to death over here." 

"Well we certainly can't have that now can we." He gives Mieko a little wink as he gets his paper and pad ready. 

Obito is on his way back to the table…he slows his pace to a complete stop as he watches the waiter take everyone's order…there's just something about the way he's looking at Mieko…and it's a look he knows all too well…after all, it's one he'd given girls plenty of times… 

'Like hell he's going to get away with that…' He thinks…no one moves in on his…'territory'. 

"And what will you be ordering, Miss?" The waiter hadn't stopped watching Mieko since he got to the table. 

Mieko rattles off her list of what she wants to order, each time the waiter thinks she is done, she isn't quite. Finally closing her menu and placing the last order she hands him the menu. "Did you get all that? You won't forget any of it…especially not the soup. I really 'really' want the soup." 

"Ah…perhaps if you could just mention that last one once again?" He sets the menu down brushing his hand against Mieko's in the process. "Maybe point it out to me to make sure I get it right…" 

"There must be something wrong with your ears pal because I heard what the lady said loud and clear…" Obito remarks very closely behind the man and his hand closes around his wrist moving it away from anywhere near Mieko's. "Besides…you've got it written down right there let me point it out to you…" The waiter winces as Obito jerks his hand off of the table and forcibly jabs it onto the pad he's holding.

"Ah! You're hurting me!" The waiter cries out. 

"Oh." Obito releases his grip as he returns to his seat, a calm smile behind the mask for the moment the resemblance to Kakashi is uncanny. "My apologies, I guess I just don't know my own strength…" 

Ai is staring at Obito and so are her parents… 

'What on earth was all that about?' She wonders. 

Yoichi looks at Obito. Essa looks at Obito…Gojyo doesn't even want to know… 

Mieko blinks. She can't even speak as she watches Obito take his seat, but her heart is fluttering like mad in her chest. Then she turns back to take a sip of water, reaching for Obito's hand under the table, finding it and lacing her fingers into his once again, squeezing quite tight. 'Was he jealous…?' she didn't know , but she wondered and if he was, it was only making it harder. 

"Oh, and you better not mess with our food either, there are three ninja at this table…and I don't need to tell you that we'd know if you did something…or the consequences it would have…" Obito adds just as calmly keeping a firm hold on Mieko's hand.


	11. Chapter 11

After Obito's 'talk' with the waiter, dinner had quieted down considerably. For a little while at least, things had picked up again once the food arrived, probably due to Kakashi's 'mystery meal', for a moment none of them were too sure what he'd ended up with. Mieko had figured it out and given the French term for it…Essa and Yoichi had just smiled while the rest of them just preferred to keep it 'a mystery'. 

They'd all headed back then Kakashi and Hana disappeared into their bedroom just as Gojyo and Essa disappeared into theirs. Ai on the one hand returns to the kitchen to take care of the flowers Yoichi had gotten her earlier… 

'They really are pretty even if the most of them are blue…' She smiles to herself. 

"So do you like them?" Yoichi smiles at her as he comes into the room, casually unbuttoning the top buttons of his shirt to get comfortable. Before he goes to the table and leans against it. "I hope they make up a little for me getting you into that dress tonight." 

*** *** *** 

Koemi has long since been sound asleep, and Mieko peeks out the door and down the hall. Everyone seems to have gone to bed…except…she smiles to herself. 'Ai and Yoichi…' She can hear the quiet conversation coming from the kitchen, and she goes to lean over the railing just a touch to try and see if she can hear just what is being said… 

*** *** *** 

"Don't go thinking I'll let you off the hook that easy, it's going to take more than flowers for me to forgive you…" Ai gives Yoichi a little glare. "You're just lucky you're leaving tomorrow, otherwise I'd dragged you down to the training grounds and no handicap." 

"Have I told you how adorable you are when you're annoyed?" He runs his finger lightly along the bridge of her nose, tapping light at the tip when he reaches it. "But I'd have gladly let you whip my ass just to see you in that dress. You look absolutely gorgeous in it." 

"You really are sneaky…you've used both your sisters to get what you wanted with me…" Ai huffs looking away from him back to the flowers. 

"Not really…no…I asked you to come with Koemi and I because I had already promised to take her out…and I really did want you to come along. Though if I had asked in front of your family, I think you may have felt odd saying yes, especially with your father there, but even he couldn’t have objected if Koemi asked." Yoichi smiles as he reaches out and touches her shoulder gently. "Though the dress…I have no excuse for that one. That was really sneaky of me. But Mieko absolutely approved of my methods. She thinks you're a good influence on me for some reason." 

Ai sighs, "I should have broken at least one of your hands days ago…and your jaw when I had the chance…" 

"And yet you didn't…" He smiles. "Which leads me to believe you don't mind what I did all that much and maybe, that's not the sort of reminder you want to leave me with…" He stands behind her then his hands gently rubbing her shoulders. "If you don't mind leaving my jaw intact, I'd very much like to kiss you again." 

Mieko can barely hold in her excitement. Certainly she knows it's rude to be peeping in on her brother and Ai but…'They do look so cute together.' 

The kunoichi just barely manages to suppress a shiver, she should step away from him, she's still angry about the dress-stunt, she should punch him is what she should do…but her gaze is on those flowers again and she gives just the slightest of nods. 

Yoichi can more than appreciate how hard this is for her. He's quite sure there is a part of her that would love to kick his teeth in. And yet when he asks for a kiss…'So sweet…' He thinks to himself as he takes her by the shoulders and turns her to face him. "Would it help to know…" He lifts he chin with his fingertips, then pulls down her veil, his eyes dark and serious. "…that I am going to miss you terribly?" This kiss…is sweeter, more tender than any he'd given her and his heart was feeling a little sick. 

*** *** *** 

Mieko listens for a few more moments…nothing. Complete silence. A little blush creeps to her cheeks as she steps back from the railing. She is quite sure that must mean…'Kissing…' Inside her heart is leaping for joy at the thought of Yoichi kissing Ai. "It's about time he met a nice girl…" She smiles to herself. 

"Ready to go?" An amused voice whispers into her ear. 

Mieko covers her mouth barely managing to keep from screaming. 'How can he still do that..?' She wonders. "You know you really need to make a little more noise so I can hear you when you sneak up on me." 

"I could hardly call myself a ninja if I couldn't sneak up on people…" Obito chuckles. "Besides…" He brushes his masked lips against her forehead. "I think I like your little reactions…it's cute…" 

"I suppose it wouldn't make sense if I could hear you sneaking up would it?" She giggles as she stands on tiptoe to kiss him lightly through his mask. "And yes… I'm ready to go if you are. Cliché as it sounds…" She sighs… as she puts her arms around his neck. "I'd like to make the most of what little time we have left." 

"Glad to hear it…" He smiles, shifting the bag on his back slightly. "Once we're out the front door…you better hold on tight…" He winks. 

"Don't I always?" Mieko laughs, tightening her hold around his neck… 

Obito chuckles…she hadn't even waited for them to get out the front door…not that he minds. Maneuvering it open proved a little trickier but he'd done it fairly noiselessly. And once outside…he's off…leaping from rooftop to rooftop and running along the path once those had run out.

*** *** *** 

"Yoichi…" Ai says a little shyly. "I…have something I'd like to give you…"

"Something for me?" He looks at her a little uncertainly.

*** *** *** 

Mieko loves this. There is nothing quite like this feeling she gets with him as he, well the leaping from rooftops is new, and every bit as thrilling as the last time he carried her like this through the trees. She wraps her arms a bit more tightly…her chest tightening as she thinks this will be the last night she gets to feel this with him. 

*** *** *** 

"It's not like it's anything too special…but…um…could you turn around for a minute?" Ai isn't about to 'extract' the gift while he's watching…she'd have to lift the dress up a little…and she isn't intent on showing him that much leg… 

Yoichi smiles and complies with her request. "Would you like me to close my eyes too?" 

"Yeah, sure…" Ai responds a little absent-mindedly as she too had turned from him to get to the concealed weapon's pouch. 

Yoichi bites his lip to keep from laughing. 'Yeah, sure…' If this was supposed to be a romantic moment…he didn’t want to ruin it by laughing now. 

There, she's got it out…"Um…you can turn around again…" She tells him as she clutches the box nervously in her hand…she just knows he'd think of her as some complete…idiot…or something along those lines. 

*** *** *** 

"We're here, Mieko-chan…" Obito tells her softly as he sets her down onto the ground." 

"It seems so…" Mieko blushes, playing nervously with a strand of hair as she curls it around her fingers. She hadn't felt this nervous since the first time… 

*** *** *** 

Hesitating a moment before taking it in his hands, Yoichi shakes his head slowly. "You don't have to give me anything Ai-chan…" He takes in a deep breath. "…I didn't expect anything." He leans in kissing her forehead softly before he opens it… 

"I…It's really just something to remember me by…" She looks down at her hands as she explains, "It…It was my first kunai…" The blade had long gone blunt and is definitely well-worn… 

*** *** *** 

Obito smiles as he gives her shoulder a squeeze. "I have a little present for you, Mieko-chan…" 

Mieko looks up at him, her heart beating a bit faster. "A present?" 

*** *** *** 

Yoichi takes it up in his hand…'Her first kunai…' He swallows. Had any other girl given him a weapon as a present he would have thought they were crazy. But Ai…Ai wasn't just any other girl, and knowing her however little he did…he knew this was something she treasured. "Ai-chan? Do you think I could even possibly forget you? I couldn't even if I wanted to…" 

"…You don't like it?" She looks up at him. She knows she'd be upset if he didn't.

*** *** *** 

"Yes a present, Mieko-chan…" He rummages through the bag he'd set down a moment ago and extracts the badly wrapped object as he holds it out to her a little uncertainly. "Uh…sorry about the lousy wrapping…I'm not too good at that kind of thing…" 

Her eyes get huge and she takes the package carefully, her hands trembling. "You got me a present…?" She can barely believe it and he'd wrapped it himself? Why she isn't sure but, as horribly wrapped as it is, she is extra careful unwrapping it, not wanting to tear any of the paper… 

*** *** *** 

"How could I not like it?" He takes in a deep breath. "I just…I can't believe you gave me something like that…believe it or not I know how much that must mean to you. Any idiot can buy someone flowers…" Yoichi smiles gently, leaning in to kiss her softly…"But then I seem to be an idiot around you…" 

"I'm glad…" Ai smiles slightly. 

*** *** *** 

'Well, she's certainly taking her sweet time…' Obito doesn't know why but he wants to see her reaction to the gift badly and what surprises him even more is the fact that he's worried about whether or not she'd like it. 

When she's finally unwrapped it, she squeals, her eyes brightening up as she laughs, giving it a squeeze, "Ooooh … it's just tooooo cute." She holds it out and looks at it again. "It's adorable…I can't believe you…" She bites her lip, her eyes watering a bit as she blinks to keep from crying. "I didn't get you anything…" 

*** *** *** 

"Glad that I like it or… glad that I act like an idiot around you?" He smirks and takes her in his arms. 

"A bit of both?" She giggles softly…suddenly…she doesn't feel so angry anymore… 

*** *** *** 

"Hey…" Obito wraps his arms around her, his touch more gentle than it had ever been. "You've given me so much already…" And it is at this stage that Obito realizes, he might have gotten in too deep. "I'm glad you like it though, it took me forever to pick…that damn saleslady was trying to sell me the whole stand…" 

"You didn't have to get me anything…" Mieko presses her lips against his shoulder lightly wrapping her arms around him, still clutching the sweet little animal in one hand. Of course he didn't have to, she knew that. But she was so very glad he did. Then she giggles as she pictures…" I bet you looked quite the sight…" She runs her fingertips gently along his tattooed arm. "A bad boy like you picking out a sweet little kitty in a dress…" 

"Hmmm…I've been through worse…" Obito chuckles…as he recalls that certain mission…he shudders at the memory. 

Mieko bites down hard on his neck not letting go for a moment then she moves to settle the little kitty on the piece of wrapping paper folded neatly on the ground and sits her there. "I wonder…think she'd like to watch?" Mieko giggles as she grabs Obito's wrists and shoves him down on the ground as she straddles him, glancing over at the plush animal again…she couldn't believe he had given her something…and something so adorable…while she hadn't bought him anything…"You know there's something I'd like to give you right now…" She takes her hands and rips open his shirt, leaning forward to make soft bites along his neck and down his chest…"Sorry if I can't wrap it…" 

Well if that hadn't just caught him by surprise he doesn't know what would…but who in their right mind could complain…Obito groans slightly as he reaches out to touch her hips. 'And to think she was so shy when we first started…' 

"You can give and do whatever you want to me, baby…" 

"If I were you…" she begins working at his belt and zipper…"I wouldn't expect to get any sleep tonight." 

*** *** *** 

The next day had come all too soon… 

"It's such a pity you can't stay longer…" Hana sighs as she clasps Essa's hands in hers. "There is so much I still would have liked for us to do together…" 

Kakashi is slightly relieved…one…he doesn't quite like the way Ai and Yoichi are looking at each other and two…he gets the feeling that there may be more going on between Mieko and Obito than any of them realize…


End file.
